Kyiv residents adapt to life under constant Russian missile threat
Intensifying Russian missile strikes are forcing Kyiv residents to spend nights in shelters as residential areas repeatedly come under attack. Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped up its own long-range strikes on targets inside Russia.
Russia's escalating missile attacks on Kyiv are reshaping daily life for the city's residents, many of whom now regularly spend their nights in bomb shelters as residential neighbourhoods continue to be hit.
One of the deadliest strikes occurred overnight on 2 July, when, according to Kyiv authorities, 30 people were killed and 99 injured, with damage reported across 40 locations in the city.
A 36-year-old woman who was at home with her husband and eight-year-old child when the strike hit described windows shattering and a fire breaking out in the building. She said her husband opened their apartment door, allowing people to escape through the broken window in their flat. Since that night, the family has slept in a shelter every night.
Casualties mount
Kyiv health authorities report that emergency medical teams responded to 1,687 locations following Russian attacks between February 2022 and June this year, treating more than 2,500 people.
Russia has continued its large-scale bombardment, with a fresh barrage on 20 August killing at least 12 people in Kyiv.
At the same time, Ukraine has intensified its own long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory, targeting oil refineries, fuel depots and military facilities. Recent strikes have hit sites in Krasnodar and Tatarstan, while an attack on the Afipsky refinery on Tuesday killed two people, according to Russian authorities.
Despite the nightly danger, many Kyiv residents remain determined to stay in the city. As one woman put it, families continue heading to shelters, getting children ready for school, and carrying on with life.
