Since August, Kyiv has faced a surge in attacks by new Russian drones powered by jet engines that can reach speeds of up to 375 miles per hour. These drones strike the city with little warning, overwhelming Ukraine’s current ability to consistently intercept them. The intensified assaults have contributed to increased civilian casualties and widespread damage across the capital.
As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, Russian forces have shifted their tactics toward making Kyiv increasingly unlivable, aiming to displace residents and pressure the government into capitulation. Unlike the battles in eastern Ukraine, where Russian advances have stalled, Kyiv has become a frontline in a new form of warfare centered on disrupting daily life.
Moscow has threatened further attacks on the city’s infrastructure this winter, including power, heating, and water supplies. Recently, Russian forces have targeted key bridges over the Dnipro River, which divides the city’s lower-rent east from the more affluent west, effectively attempting to split Kyiv.
For residents, everyday activities now involve constant risk calculations. People decide among options like sleeping in subway stations, underground parking garages, or hallways, all to avoid harm during missile and drone strikes. Shopping trips and schooling are frequently interrupted by air-raid alerts, forcing residents to seek shelter multiple times a day.
At one Kyiv school, students attend classes in shifts due to limited shelter space. During air-raid alerts, children move to a basement gym with no desks or chairs, where lessons continue amid punching bags and wrestling mats. Some students track drone flights on apps, while others occupy themselves with imaginative games reflecting the conflict around them.
Tragedy struck on a recent morning when Anatoliy Kavunenko, a 66-year-old security guard, left for an early shift amid an air-raid alert. Shortly after, ballistic missiles struck a neighborhood on Kyiv’s east side, igniting fires in garages and killing Kavunenko. His wife discovered his body at the scene, underscoring the ongoing human toll.
Despite frequent attacks and infrastructure disruptions, many residents struggle with the decision to stay or flee. Some, like 36-year-old motorcycle clothing designer Mykola Horskyi, express deep attachment to Kyiv while acknowledging the city's growing hardships. Others, such as Oksana Stelmashchuk, a mother caring for her infant born during a drone attack near a maternity hospital, navigate daily life amid the persistent threat of strikes.
Public spaces, including businesses like a frequently targeted McDonald’s, operate with reduced offerings due to constant interruptions. Air-raid sirens punctuate daily routines, sending people to shelters multiple times each day. Recent drone strikes have set fires in residential buildings, destroying apartments and causing additional casualties. The resulting damage has caused widespread power and water outages, disrupted public transit on the west side, and left entire districts without essential services.
Still, residents attempt to maintain normalcy when possible. After a recent power outage and attacks, families took walks and returned to everyday activities, acknowledging the precariousness of peace. Children, such as fifth-grader Mark, adapt to living under threat, attending classes in basement shelters and adjusting to ongoing uncertainty.
The intensified drone attacks and infrastructure strikes represent a troubling escalation in Moscow’s effort to wear down Kyiv. As the capital endures growing devastation, its population faces difficult choices amid an increasingly dangerous urban battlefield far from the conventional front lines.