Kyiv: Until a few months ago, life was relatively peaceful in Kyiv when compared with the situation near the war's front lines elsewhere in Ukraine. Now, as Russia expands its attacks on the capital, Kyiv has increasingly become a front-line city.
With too few shelters for the 4 million residents of Kyiv, subway stations double as makeshift dormitories. Starting at about 10 every night, people create sleeping areas with mattresses and small tents. Children snuggle up to adults; pets seek comfort from their owners or find a spot among strangers between the cold walls.
"We're alive," Halyna told DW, holding her 5-year-old son, Roman, close. "We've been lucky once again." Most evenings — even when no air-raid siren has sounded — she takes the boy to the nearest subway station. Her apartment is located in the Lukyanivka district, which Russia has systematically targeted over the war's four years and eight months.
'These sick monsters don't care who they kill'
In September, 14-year-old Daniel Umanskyj was doing homework in his room when a Russian drone struck the apartment building in the central district of Pechersk. A neighbor named Vlad happened to be in the hallway with his daughter at the time of the strike. "We were late that day — and this saved our lives," Vlad said. "Daniel's death is a tragedy." He added: "These sick monsters don't care who they kill." Flowers have been planted in front of the damaged apartment building in memory of Daniel.
Russia also targets places where children gather. In early October, a drone struck a school building in southwestern Kyiv. Fortunately, pupils and teachers were already in shelters at the time.
"We've been teaching all the pupils in person because we have a large shelter that can accommodate more than 500 students," Valentyna Chorna, the school's principal, told DW. As there is enough space in the shelter for everyone, students in the first through ninth grades are able to go to school, she said.
Danger at home, at school — everywhere
Whether classes take place depends not only on the decision of the parents and the school administration: It also depends on whether shelters are available and how long the air-raid siren continues to sound. If an alarm sounds in the morning while children are still at home, they may not be able to go to school that day.
"This is an enormous burden for parents," said a colleague from the DW bureau in Kyiv, whose daughter attends school. "You have to go to work — and the child stays home alone."
"Even the walk to school is dangerous because an air-raid alarm can go off at any time," she said. Her daughter attends a school not far from the Antonov aircraft factory. "One day she texted me: ‘You can't imagine what a huge explosion that was!'" she said. "I don't know if something was shot down or if there was a strike somewhere." She added: "Things like that really scare children." And staying home brings its own risks.
In September, a Russian drone struck their building. The apartment itself wasn't damaged, and her daughter was at school that morning, but it was another reminder of just how much survival has become a matter of luck. When an air-raid siren sounds, no one knows who will be spared, she said.
Kyiv's population persists
Russia's attacks have become deadlier in 2026. According to the military administration in Kyiv, 140 people were killed in the capital during the first eight months of the year, compared with 172 for all of 2025. If this trend continues, 2026 could become Kyiv's deadliest year since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.
Attacks on warehouses have led to shortages in supermarkets on a scale not seen since the early months of the war. At the end of September, emergency power outages resumed in Kyiv. The subway was paralyzed by a Russian attack. Given the strikes on the energy infrastructure, it is unclear how the capital can reliably supply residents with heat, electricity and water during the upcoming winter.
Despite Russia's attempts to render Kyiv uninhabitable, 72% of the city's residents said in September that they are prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology reported in early October. The authorities are striving to maintain normal life in the city, where the curfew has been shortened and now runs from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Some facilities have even been allowed to continue operating during "yellow" alerts. During "red" alerts, however, people must immediately seek shelter: This could mean ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or massive combined attacks.