As Russia Intensifies Attacks on Ukraine’s Capital, Families Struggle to Live with the Ever-Present Risk of Drone and Missile Strikes
Life in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, might seem deceptively normal at times, with bustling shops, restaurants, and families taking photos in front of iconic landmarks. However, beneath the surface, the daily reality for Kyiv residents is anything but ordinary. Air raid sirens blare, anti-aircraft fire echoes in the distance, and the city is routinely plunged into darkness due to rolling power cuts. Yet, many continue their lives with remarkable resilience, learning to live with the constant threat from the skies.
As the conflict in Ukraine drags on, the risk of attack from Russian drones and missiles has escalated, and Kyiv has become a prime target for Russia’s aerial strikes. Anti-aircraft units track and engage incoming threats with precision, as I witnessed first-hand: Russian drones swarm the skies in unprecedented numbers, with anti-aircraft tracers cutting through the night. The city is not just under attack, but under siege, with the aim of sowing fear and destabilising the population.
A significant part of Russia’s strategy is targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, attempting to cripple the nation’s power supply, especially during the winter months. Rolling blackouts have become a norm as engineers work tirelessly to repair damaged power stations. The already limited power grid is now further strained, and residents must conserve energy wherever possible.
For families, the persistent threat of airstrikes is more than just an inconvenience—it’s a psychological burden. Alona, a Kyiv resident, shared how the constant air raid warnings have deeply affected her family’s life. At night, as air raid apps light up with urgent alerts, she and her husband rush to shelter with their two-year-old son, Oles, in tow. The disruption to their child’s routine is heartbreaking. “The hardest part is when you’re putting your child to sleep in the bathroom or rushing to the shelter in the middle of the night,” Alona explained. “He’s terrified. He doesn’t get proper sleep, and the alarms have made him scared of everything.”
Despite this, Alona and her family, like thousands of others, try to measure the risk of each attack. When the air raid sirens go off, they weigh their options—whether to stay at home or seek shelter, not knowing if the next attack will be fatal. The fear is ever-present. “I saw a missile being shot down, and it was terrifying,” Alona said. “Even now, telling you about it, it’s still frightening to be out in the open.”
I also met with members of Ukraine’s National Guard, specifically a mobile air defence unit tasked with tracking and neutralising these aerial threats. The soldiers, working in sub-zero temperatures, use radar and spotlights to locate and track incoming drones. Yet, Russian tactics continue to evolve, with many of the drones now being decoys designed to waste Ukrainian resources and confusion. “The enemy is changing tactics,” explained Commander Serhii. “Some drones fly low to avoid radar detection, while others fly high to be spotted, making it harder for us to respond.”
Despite the constant danger, Kyiv’s residents continue their lives as best they can. Staff in restaurants decorate Christmas trees, and people gather for holiday meals. But the mood is heavy, as the war’s toll becomes more evident with each passing day. Young men fear being drafted, many hiding to avoid conscription, while the situation at the front lines worsens with Russia making incremental territorial gains. With another Christmas approaching, there’s little hope for peace, and the weight of war lingers in every corner of the city.
In Kyiv, the threat from the skies is never far away, and for families like Alona’s, life is lived in a constant state of uncertainty, where normality is an illusion, and survival is the only reality.
