KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 By day, the Ukrainian capital hums with life 鈥 crowded metros, dog walkers and children on playgrounds. By night, Kyiv becomes a battleground as Russia unleashes relentless drone and missile attacks that chase much of the population underground for safety.
The nighttime assaults have intensified in the fourth year of , with sometimes exceeding 700. Swarms of 1,000 drones could soon become the norm, officials say.
Many people in Kyiv describe the recent attacks as the most terrifying of the war, and even residents who previously ignored sirens have been driven into .
鈥淒uring the day, you walk around, drink coffee, smile, meet friends, talk, have hobbies, chill,鈥 said 25-year-old Karyna Holf. 鈥淏ut at night, you brace for death every time you hear the sound of a Shahed drone or a missile.鈥
A badly damaged her apartment. She was in the living room near a window when she heard the whistling sound of an incoming weapon. Moments later, the home shattered into pieces. She was lucky to survive.
The constant proximity to death often fuels dark humor. At night, many are paralyzed by fear. But by day, they joke that they don鈥檛 sleep naked, just in case they end up under rubble and rescuers have to pull them out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a computer game where you try to survive and still remain functional,鈥 said 35-year-old Danylo Kuzemskyi, describing the balance between daily life and war.
The buzzing of drones 鈥 often ending in explosions 鈥 and the constant thud of air defenses can last for hours. The noise leaves many people chronically exhausted from lack of sleep.
The drones blanket wide areas of the city, covered in darkness pierced only by the flashes of air defense fire. The air is filled with smoke and the smell of gunpowder.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 800 sites in Kyiv have been hit, including over 600 residential buildings, said the head of the Kyiv city administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
鈥淭hey are deliberately hitting apartment buildings and urban districts,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is their tactic 鈥 to spread fear and increase the number of civilian casualties.鈥
Russia insists that it strikes only military targets, though there are abundant examples throughout the war of civilian infrastructure being hit.
The attacks have also among Kyiv residents. On social media, people post with pride that they can still grab a cappuccino in the morning, make it to a workout or keep their appointments 鈥 without canceling a thing.
鈥淚 understand that Russia鈥檚 terror is aimed not only at military targets but at the entire Ukrainian people. Russia is trying to demoralize us,鈥 said Kuzemskyi, whose apartment was destroyed in a previous attack. 鈥淚s it succeeding? In my case, I鈥檇 say no.鈥
He is among those who no longer go to shelters during attacks, saying he now 鈥減rioritizes sleep鈥 over safety.
For 23-year-old Oleksandra Umanets, who has a 10-month-old son, the shelter in the subway feels safer than her home at night.
Around 5 a.m., she usually leaves the shelter with her child, walks home, lies down to sleep and wakes up relieved to see her baby smiling.
鈥淚 see the same kids running, playing 鈥 and moms who are smiling,鈥 she said of their walks during the day. 鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 guess they spent the night in the metro or didn鈥檛 sleep at all, even though everyone knows it. But no one talks about it. Everyone just keeps living.鈥
Then evening comes. She packs a bag, places it by the door, prepares the stroller and lays out clothes for herself and her baby. When the siren sounds again, she鈥檚 ready to hide.
鈥淲hen it鈥檚 about you 鈥 that鈥檚 one thing. But when it鈥檚 about your child, for what?鈥 she said. 鈥淭o kill him just for being born in Ukraine? He didn鈥檛 choose where to be born.鈥
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