“I took the most necessary things: an album and pencils.” What Ukrainians say in the Arsenalna metro station

Kyiv metro. Here people meet, share, care for each other, and celebrate birthdays. Someone comes here for a night, someone has been living here constantly for a month. Rubryka visited the metro station Arsenalna and talked to people, for whom the metro became a shelter and home. How the Kyiv residents are living and what they tell in the metro today are in the article.

Tania. Three children: two girls and the eldest son. The son is in the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

"We all here (Metro Arsenalna, – ed.) ran away from the left bank. We live in the private housing sector. We have a construction going on near our house, the bridge is being built; at first, I thought it was the crane when it banged the first time. Then the second time happened. 

I said, "The war must have started." 

My son said, "What the war? Go to sleep."

But when I opened the door, I saw that the missile was flying over Trukhanov Island, and then the fighter planes. I said: "Close the door, it's war." The son ran through the shelters, and said that it is possible to stay only here (in the metro). He said that all the shelters were overcrowded, everyone was afraid, there would not be enough space for us. He said, "Get to the metro, go to the Arsenalna station and sit there until it's over."

This month is a torment. Everyone is sitting around asking when it all will be over. God knows it. Maybe the mind of the person who started it all will clear. Of course, it is difficult here. It was especially difficult at first. There were many children here. In general, everybody here left for Lviv. For Poland. We were also told to leave, but I will not leave my child or husband. This is my homeland, this is my land, what should I leave? Our relatives, no one from the village, left when the war happened. My grandfather fought in the Kursk Arc, and then in Brest. 

Over the first days we slept at the same place as where we are now. Next to me there was my son, me, and my husband; we were sitting and sleeping here, and next to each other we put girls on backpacks, practically on top of each other. In the morning, all the guys who were around gathered, and you know, I had a feeling as if we were seeing off the train which left for the war; everybody went to serve in the territorial defense. It was hard to look: girls were crying, moms were crying. Now there are less people here, literally a week, maybe less, as some left. 

A lot of people who live nearby come here for the night before curfew, it's safe to stay here. I'm scared to go outside, this siren, it's dreadful. But now it's spring, sunshine. We come out, walk near the bags (bags of sand to protect buildings, -ed.), and get back. Now there are neighbors with dogs, there have been lots with cats. 

When we were leaving, we were told to take only the essentials. You know, there has been already a joke made up on me. What did I take from the essentials? An album and pencils. In panic I thought "Oh, my God, there will be at least something for the kids to draw."

The son is already in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He came here to us from Obolon on foot, no transport was running. I opened my eyes at two o'clock in the morning and said "I don't understand, why aren't you at the military enlistment office?" "They said to come tomorrow morning." He got up at six in the morning and we put him on the train. It was the 25th of February, and at nine or ten in the morning the metro was no longer running, the shutters were closed (the leak-proof – ed.).

I can't leave this place. It's like betraying your child. He feels me morally. He knows we're waiting for him, that we support him. He keeps saying, "Don't worry, Mom, don't worry." Like a boy. A big boy. He recently wrote, "Mom, don't cry. All is good with me, this is our land, the victory will be ours." He is struggling. My son is here on the edge, in a bucket hat (the woman shows a photo on the phone,- ed.). They should give birth to grandchildren for their mothers, not to hold the machine gun (woman cries – ed.). You know, like any mother, however good it is, you still worry. And for him, and for everyone who stands and protects, for every child, for every husband. It's scary. I didn't even think that this could be in the world at all. If you look at Mariupol, it's just a horror: ashes, not a city."

Mykola

"I'm here from the second day of the war, I do not remember which day on the calendar it is. Now I count the days from the beginning of the war. The first day started with being awakened by a friend at 5 in the morning. He said they started bombing. Of course, I became nervous, there was nothing clear from the news. And approximately in half an hour I heard it myself (I live on Obolon), that the ballistic missile defense started working, that the bombing started. We were very frightened, started collecting things. My neighbors, Yehor and Sasha, went to Bilohorodka. They had a few very difficult days, until they managed to get away from there, and I was here. First I went to a friend, and on the second day moved here. There is no work now, but I downloaded a computer game, and now I play a little. Our life is already set. There is a distribution center, there we give people the things for general needs: tea, plastic dishes. We do live, have put the mattress here, gathered the cover. Volunteers bring things and food. Now it's possible to live normally in the station. It happens to be cold, but we get some more covers. What else to do. We go to the street. We help the volunteers nearby, cats from the Pecherskyi district.

I remember, at the very beginning, on the second or third day, there were about three hundred people here, and we were sitting on the second floor, between the escalators. At night the escalators were switched off, and the toilet was at the bottom. Me and a friend went there and back two times, after that I said that there would be no toilets at night anymore. I have to go home from time to time and water flowers while I can; it's possible to live there, sometimes I stay there for a day or two."

Аntonina, 68 years

"We have been here since the beginning, since the 24th. We came here that afternoon, and stayed. In general I live on the left bank, on Malyshka, near the Darnitsia metro station. My granddaughter told me to come to Arsenalna. She said it was for three hours, not more. We didn't think we'd be here that long. At first it was, of course, difficult, there was no place to sleep. But we were given a place to sleep for the night, we slept like that. We are being fed very well, three times a day. There are also sweets, and fruit.

Now it's warm. We used to be on two blankets that we took at home, we slept with two blankets. And now we have a bed, everybody has a blanket and a pillow. We go outside, we can walk, we can go to the store. We have not been at home, it is difficult to move to the left bank. There is a toilet, hot water, you can take a shower, the conditions are normal. We are treated good here.

We live like a family, helping each other with the things someone doesn't have, especially at first it was necessary. I had birthday on February 28. And I did not expect to be congratulated by strangers. I was given a huge cake, two kilograms. It was very nice, I did not expect it. Thanks to the volunteers for the fact that they organized it and we celebrated the birthday, though in such circumstances. After all, it was done by complete strangers, only three days have passed, and we were not so familiar with each other. We are well treated, you can warm up dinner at any time. I mean, it's better at home, but this time, it's like we're in heaven. People suffer under the bombs, do not eat, and we have boiling water every hour and a half, you can drink tea and coffee."

Ivan

"I study at Drahomanov National Pedagogical University. I'm a student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. I am here from the first or second day of the war. A girl who spent the majority of time here gave me the guitar. I went to Lviv with her; it was necessary to accompany her and her friend to the border. But already in Lviv they decided that they could stay there, so I left them in Lviv and returned here. I have my own guitar at home, this seems to be presented, but when the war ends, I will return it, it is not a problem (a man smiles). I have been playing the guitar for five years, but not very regularly.

Here there are already all the conditions for existence: It is even better than my dormitory. Most of the time I spend outside, running, volunteering at Cats from Pechersk, but if I stay here, I watch films, series, play the guitar. This is a normal weekend, which has been a little delayed."

Vlad, 17 years

"I've been here with my parents since the 24th. It was hard to get used to the conditions here because people were panicking, but in general everything was fine. There is, of course, a desire to return home. We have not actually been there since the beginning of the war, except the things have been packed. Everyone I've met here has already decided that this is better. I'm glad that everyone from acquaintances is safe. I'll always remember walking the metro at night, watching people sleep, talking, listening to music. We've had some interesting encounters, but everyone's gone.

The first thing I remember on the 24th is the aggression of panicking people, but basically I was ready for war, nothing serious. 

We are well fed here. There is Internet. Light. Of course, tired of sitting for a month in the metro. I try to go outside more often, but because of the weather and mood, which periodically jumps, it is very difficult to concentrate on the fact that you need to go out and breathe some fresh air. The first thing we will need to get used to after the war is that it's finally over. First you get used to being in the metro, sometimes in fear. And then you'll have to get used to the fact that no one's gonna bomb you tonight, there is no alarm."

Today the metro is the place of safety and unity. This is how Arsenalna metro station looks today:

Here people are stronger together.

Sleeping is safe here.

There is drinking water.

And a spot with tea and water.

There is a place for reading books,

and for caring for flowers.

Here people are caring for each other. The strength is here. Ukraine is here. And the light is not only at the end of the tunnel, but also along it. Because the light is us.