Life Underground - Kyiv

As Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure intensified, I found myself thinking back to my third night in Kyiv—the first time the air raid sirens forced me underground. After years of war, Kyiv’s residents have become understandably desensitized. I followed my neighbors as they calmly walked down into the metro, sleeping mats and lawn chairs slung over their shoulders as if heading to a concert or a sleepover. Above us, the sharp crack of air defense systems and Ukrainian machine-gun fire split the night sky, attempting to intercept an incoming barrage of nearly 400 Russian Shahed drones. This was the first of many nights I would spend beneath the city—living alongside, listening to, and documenting civilians forced underground by the relentless reality of Russia’s war on Ukraine.