Over the past few months, more and more residents of Kyiv are settling in for the night on the cold floors of the metro stations rather than in their warm beds. In the past, people awoken in the middle of the night by blaring air raid sirens, would get dressed, grab their things, and run to a shelter. But now, because many attacks begin with ballistic missiles, that are much faster and harder to intercept than drones and can reach Kyiv within two minutes, people have become more proactive.
Instead of waiting for an alert, people are going underground in advance, before the first siren is heard. After finishing their day at work, people head for the metro, lay out their mattresses and sleeping bags, and prepare to spend the night underground.
The metro floors are not conducive to a good night’s sleep, as it is often coId and loud inside the stations. But given the alternative, getting caught running for shelter in the middle of an attack, or worse, not making it to a shelter before the strikes occur, thousands of people give up their warm comfortable beds for a spot on the cold, hard floor in the noisy metro station. On some nights more than 50,000 people head underground, including young children, and pets.
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photos: Kyiv City State Administration Website
