Kyiv now feels like a front-line city — but its resolve is holding, for now
For much of Russia's full-scale war, massive attacks on Kyiv came mainly at night. Residents learned, as much as possible, to organize their lives around them. They would sleep in hallways or bathrooms, check Telegram channels for updates in the dark, then emerge in the morning and go to work, cafes, concerts, or dinner. That fragile division between wartime nights and relatively normal days is…
Kyiv has transformed into a front-line city, despite its resilient inhabitants. Previously, massive Russian assaults on the Ukrainian capital primarily occurred at night, but they have now escalated to occur around the clock. Residents are adapting their lives to the new reality, navigating workdays, commutes, and afternoons amidst air raid alerts, air defense fire, and explosions.
The city is becoming more akin to Ukraine's eastern regions, as evidenced by the increasing toll on its residents' health, income, and properties. Oleksii Antypovych, director of Rating Group, a Ukrainian polling and sociological research organization, noted that Kyiv residents share similar indicators with those in the eastern regions, including worsening health, loss of income, and property damage.
The prevailing mood among Kyiv residents can be described as anxiety and uncertainty about security, rather than panic. According to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey conducted from August 21 to September 10, 83% of Kyiv residents believe Ukraine should continue armed resistance even if Russia attempts to deprive people of essential services like electricity, heating, and water during the winter.
Despite the ongoing attacks, many Kyiv residents remain defiant, as they are adapting to the new circumstances and continuing to work and build their lives in the city.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
