Kyiv Endures Relentless Russian Drone Assaults
Civilians seek shelter as attacks intensify, exceeding grim milestones.
In Kyiv, residents are enduring increasingly frequent and intense Russian attacks, forcing families to seek refuge in basements and metro stations. The situation is taking a severe toll on the mental health and daily lives of ordinary Ukrainians.
A Night in a Kyiv Basement
At 1 a.m. on Thursday, **Dartsia Liuba**, her husband **Roma**, and their two children sought safety in the basement of their apartment building after the air-raid siren sounded. With her seven-month-old baby **Halyna** in her arms and her nine-year-old, **Orysia**, in tow, **Liuba** descended to the shelter as explosions erupted nearby.
The district of Podil was targeted by Shahed kamikaze drones, their presence announced by an ugly whine
. Ukrainian air defense units responded with machine-gun fire, yet the swarm of drones seemed endless. Across the city, people sought refuge in metro stations and the lower floors of buildings, following official advice to stay between two walls, often finding safety in bathrooms.
Unable to sleep, **Liuba** texted a friend expressing her fear: “It’s very scary. A lot of neighbours who don’t normally come to the basement are down here…I can barely hold myself together. My head hurts.”
After taking her children upstairs at 5 a.m., she returned to the shelter an hour later due to incoming ballistic missiles.
Escalating Attacks and Shifting Geopolitics
Since **Vladimir Putin**’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities have intensified. The Kremlin has increased drone production, and, geopolitically, **Donald Trump**’s return to the White House in January has seen a shift towards Moscow.
While **Trump** recently reversed a Pentagon decision to halt US weapons shipments to Ukraine, interpreted by some as a sign of waning patience with **Putin**, the arms deliveries of the **Joe Biden** era have dwindled. Ukrainian forces are facing increasing challenges on the eastern front.
Grim Statistics and Civilian Impact
Ukraine’s reliance on Washington for interceptor missiles is threatened by dwindling stocks. Despite **Trump**’s promise to send 10 interceptor missiles, Ukrainian officials deem this insufficient. The scale of Russian attacks is increasing; June 2025 saw 5,209 rockets and drones fired at Ukraine, a massive increase from 580 in June 2024. On Wednesday, a record 728 drones and 13 missiles were launched, primarily targeting Lutsk. The Thursday raid on Kyiv resulted in two deaths and 28 injuries.
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, over 10,000 civilians have died in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022. “It’s like the London blitz but far worse. This is blitz, blitz, blitz,”
said **Liuba** of the relentless attacks.
Personal Stories of Resilience
**Liuba**, who previously fled Irpin in 2022 and spent a year in London, described the exhaustion and stress experienced by mothers in Kyiv. She had spent hours in a maternity hospital shelter during an attack while giving birth to **Halyna** last November. Her husband, **Roma**, is currently serving as a soldier. “Since the war I take mild antidepressants, on and off,”
she admitted.
**Nataliya Serhiyivna**, an accountant, lamented the lack of adequate air defense and called for increased Western assistance. **Alina**, a nail bar worker, expressed her frustration: “It’s fucked up. Russia is a terrorist state. We are not the first country to suffer.”
She copes by watching cat videos on TikTok.
The Toll on the Younger Generation
**Karina Obermeier**, visiting from Munich, highlighted the psychological impact on young people. “We know one 16-year-old who doesn’t laugh any more. She won’t leave her father…My brother developed stomach pains. A female friend drinks every night to cope with the situation.”
We need better air defence. Western countries should help more,says **Nataliya Serhiyivna**. Photograph: **Anastasia Vlasova**/The Guardian
Finding Moments of Peace
**Liuba** mentioned that the shared experience had fostered a sense of community among neighbors. **Orysia** proudly displayed a farewell album from her London primary school friends. Looking ahead, **Liuba** and her daughters plan to travel to the Netherlands for a holiday.
“For **Orysia** it will be nice to spend some time in a normal situation…I imagine we are going to sleep in a bed for the whole night next to a window in a quiet village,”
**Liuba** said, envisioning their escape from the ongoing conflict.
