Several nights a week, Daria Slavytska packs a stroller with blankets, food, and a yoga mat. Then she heads into the Kyiv subway with her two-year-old son Emil, to sleep.
For the past two months, Russia has launched drone and missile attacks on the capital almost every night.
The sound of sirens has become routine. So has fear.
Like thousands of others, Slavytska now shelters in Kyiv’s underground metro stations — deep, cold, and Soviet-built.
She says she used to go once a month. Now it’s two or three times a week.
In June alone, the subway recorded 165,000 nighttime visits, more than double May’s figure.
The city's military says 78 people were killed and over 400 injured in Kyiv in the first half of this year.
Some nights, explosions rock the sky before the sirens sound.
Emil used to shake and cry. Now he just says, “Mum, we should go.”
Others are choosing steel over concrete.
Small business owner Kateryna Storozhuk sleeps each night inside a $2,000 reinforced “Capsule of Life” shelter — built to survive falling debris.
She climbs in with her Chihuahua.
“Without it, I couldn’t sleep,” she says.
The deeper damage is not visible.
Psychologists in Kyiv say long-term sleep deprivation is hurting the public — especially children.
Researchers warn it can trigger lifetime health issues, from anxiety to chronic illness.
A 2024 study found 88% of Ukrainians reported poor or very poor sleep.
At night, the metro resembles wartime London — families curled on mats, babies in strollers, lights dimmed.
Slavytska is even considering buying a full mattress.
Retailers say demand for inflatable beds and sleep gear has jumped 25% in Kyiv since June.
Experts compare the mental strain to battlefield trauma.
“Imagine someone shot in front of you — your heart sinks,” said Anton Kurapov, a sleep researcher.
“In Kyiv, people feel that fear every day.”
The White House is watching too.
U.S. President Donald Trump this week cited Russian strikes as he approved new weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot missiles.
“It’s incredible that people stay, knowing a missile could hit their apartment,” he said.
But they do.
They sleep on platforms. In capsules. In fear.
Because for now, Kyiv’s quietest hours still echo with war.
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concer...
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic miss...
Country music legend Dolly Parton, whose songs, unmistakable style and warmth made her one of America’s most enduring entertainers, has died ...
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv wants peace but will not surrender to Russia, as foreign leaders joined Independence Day events marking 35 years since Ukraine’s independence.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
A newly created pro-government political party has secured a commanding victory in Kazakhstan's snap parliamentary election, according to exit polls, strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's influence at a pivotal moment in the country's political transition.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Canada has announced nearly $20 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods and billions in support for workers and businesses, escalating its trade dispute with Washington after President Donald Trump's latest duties took effect.
Pakistani exporters are facing soaring shipping costs to the U.S., with freight rates more than tripling on some routes as the Iran-U.S. conflict drives up war-risk insurance and fuel costs.
The trial of a Libyan man accused of building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people, has been postponed by a U.S. federal judge.
France and Saudi Arabia have agreed on plans for a $7 billion manga-themed amusement complex near Paris, inspired by the hugely popular Japanese franchise Dragon Ball Z.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment