‘I thought the bombings were over’: war returns to Kyiv | Ukraine

When the Kyiv opera house reopened in late May it was seen by many as the symbol of a return to normality after months of war, with the melodies of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville replacing the din of Russian artillery.

Local authorities relaxed curfew hours and removed anti-tank roadblocks. The main thoroughfare of Khreshchatyk Street was bustling with bars, cafes, and businesses. Oleksandr Litvin (23-year-old marketing manager) surveyed the calm and decided that it was time for him to return to his apartment in central Shevchenkivskyi after months of being away.

“I left Kyiv right after the invasion,” he told the Guardian. “I moved to a village in the Zakarpattia oblast – the westernmost region of Ukraine. I was told by my friends that the capital was safe and that it was safe to return after three months. I thought that the bombings had ended. But I was wrong.”

In the early hours Sunday morning, Oleksandr and the entire area were thrown back to the primitive reality by four explosions in a matter of seconds. Columns of smoke rose above his apartment, which was home to a cluster universities, restaurants, and art galleries. The explosions were caused by Russian missiles launched from the Caspian Sea. This served as a stark reminder that the capital of Ukraine is still in conflict.

Despite normal life slowly returning to normal, Kyiv is still at War at a time when the entire country, with its back against the wall in Donbas is facing the most difficult moment since the invasion began. Up to 200 Ukrainians are believed to be being killed on the battlefield every day.

Two apartment buildings were attacked and one man was killed. Six people, including a Russian woman, were taken to hospital. A seven-year-old girl, however, was rescued from the rubble. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, called it an attempt to “intimidate Ukrainians” ahead of the Nato and G7 summits.

“I woke up and saw a large plume of smoke from my window”, said Oleksandr.

“I was out with some friends that night. We began to scream, because there had been other fun times. We went to the bathroom and waited for 10 minutes. Then, we went outside to check out what had happened. It was terrifying.”

Oleksandr said he was moving back to his parents’ house. “I no longer feel safe in that apartment. I will not go back until the war is over.”

The greater Kyiv region had a population in excess of 3.5 million before the invasion. But after the February bombardments, one in two residents fled the capital.

After the announcement that the region of Kyiv had been liberated from the Russians in what was described as Ukraine’s biggest victory in the war, thousands of residents started to return. Many people fled the city hearing the sound of Russian artillery fires. Hoping that the war was only a bad memory, many people began to ignore the daily air raid sirens. Queues began to form outside nightclubs.

Residents would enjoy coffee and beer in a surreal setting, with occasional explosions off to the distance.

“I got used to living under these new conditions,” saidSonia Lassud, 34 is an interior designer. “What before I thought couldn’t happen is now the new reality.”

Lassud, who remained in Kyiv following the Russian invasion, is well-versed in war and its destructive power. She hails originally from Mariupol (the long-held city that was under Russian control). Her brother and mother were wounded in an Russian air strike. They remained there until the Russians arrived, then took refuge in a nearby village.

“They slept in the cold because their windows had been broken in the explosions’’, says Lassud. “In the house, the temperature was six below zero.”

After the capture of Mariupol, perhaps the most strategic breakthrough for Vladimir Putin since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has continued to consolidate its gains in eastern Ukraine, as the war’s momentum slowly and incrementally has shifted in Moscow’s favour.

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine now want to take down Lysychansk’s twin city after having reduced Sievierodonetsk city to rubble. Russian forces could take over the entire Luhansk region, which together with Donetsk forms the Donbas region.

The Ukrainian troops, which were formidable at the start of the war, are now fighting on the battlefield.

Despite heavy losses at front, a lack in weapons and constant Russian bombardments its citizens continue fighting and, despite the difficulties they face, they are not prepared to make any concessions.

“Yes, it’s true, the Russians have more firepower”, says Lassud. “We may be running out of weapons, but our spirit … our spirit will never die.”