While fears of a possible Russian military invasion of Ukraine continue to grow in Europe and the west, people in Ukraine have to get on with their daily lives.
A callout asking people about the situation in the country received scores of responses, with readers primarily emphasising that while there was concern, Ukrainians were not in a state of panic and life largely continues as normal. Many underlined that the crisis was not new – there has been a conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the country’s east since 2014.
The Guardian received submissions from people across Ukraine, with about half of responses coming from residents of the capital, Kyiv. Here, five people share their experiences of what it’s like living with the threat of a Russian invasion.
‘There’s this general feeling of unease’
Last week I went to the supermarket and stocked up on some basic food items. It’s one of the first things that comes to your mind – the kind of thing we did when the pandemic broke out. So I just went and bought stuff that has a long shelf life, like pasta, olive oil, canned food, rice. I haven’t seen anyone panic-buying in the supermarket.
I also checked where my documents were and put them in a backpack together with my laptop. It’s really hard to imagine what this can be like. I’ve been fortunate to only have seen war in films. Basically I’m getting my inspiration from Hollywood films – it sounds a bit silly, but you don’t really know how to behave. There’s this general feeling of unease – can you even make long-term plans? I have started taking sleeping medication to help me sleep at nights when I suffer from bouts of anxiety.
I am in central Ukraine. I’m kind of halfway between Kyiv and Crimea, so it’s still a long way from, for instance, Donetsk and Luhansk. It’s much worse in eastern Ukraine and in Kyiv. I have friends [there] and my brother also lives in Kyiv. They do say that people are panicking a lot more there because they feel they might be the primary target. I have a friend in Kyiv who says many of her friends have signed up for self-defence courses or even purchased hunting rifles.
I live with my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter and retired parents. My daughter and I have European passports (my partner is French) but I can’t bear leaving my parents behind. If push comes to shove, I may simply have no choice as I need to protect my daughter. Julia, 34, Kropyvnytsky, translator
‘If Ukraine is invaded, I will stay and fight’
Many people have already thought of what they will do in case of an invasion, like whether they will go with their relatives, whether they will go themselves, where they will [send] their relatives. I don’t want to run somewhere, I don’t want to leave Ukraine … I don’t want to have to [make] this decision. But [in case of an invasion], I think that I will join the army. At least as far as I’m able to do that, because I don’t have military experience.
[Invasion] feels like it’s very, very possible. I cannot say what is more likely – that invasion will be or that it won’t be. Maybe the feeling is like 50/50, but 50 is a lot. It seems like everyone is nervous but not in panic. At least so far. All in all we are used to it – war and military threats from Russia have become a common business over the last eight years.
The escalation has become the [main] topic in our media and a usual topic of chats over coffee. People discuss whether to fight, to do nothing or to run away somewhere in Europe. YouTube is full of [videos advising] “how to prepare for surviving a war” or “what to put in your survival/alarm kit”. These videos have mostly been created in the last two months – some were created [before] but have become popular now.
Some people are making stocks of some supplies, like food, but in general I don’t feel like it’s too many people. The shops are full of products. Dmytro, 27, Kyiv, works at a law firm
‘No one is panicking’
There was a little bit of panic a few weeks ago after the American embassy ordered their staff to go back home – because of this, the [value] of Ukrainian hryvnia went down compared with the euro or American dollar. But the exchange rate has got back to where it was.
As the Ukrainian president said, we need to remember that the war started in 2014 when they [Russia] annexed Crimea. Just because Ukraine wasn’t in the centre of all the media outlets in the world, it doesn’t mean that there was no war – 14,000 have died as a result. So I suppose for my parents and for [other people], they don’t feel that this crisis is new.
I have lived in the UK for eight years but have been in Odessa for the past three weeks visiting my parents. It was the first time I was able to visit them in two years because of Covid. Odessa is the centre of the navy in Ukraine, so there are navy ships around, and Nato ships come to Odessa when they visit the Black Sea. So from that perspective, I guess people feel a bit more protected.
People are very much pro-Ukraine, they support independence, they support American and British help. You can even get a free drink in some parts of Odessa if you have a British passport.
People talk about the Russian threat a lot, of course. However, no one is panicking. People go on with their lives. Shopping, work, school, banks are as busy as usual without any signs of despair and mistrust. The attitude [towards Russia] here is sort of like: come on, you can try, but nothing good will come out of it. Rodion, 37, visiting Odessa, works in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK
‘We’re anxious about how it will develop’
I am Russian-Ukrainian, born in St Petersburg but living in Kyiv all my life, since 1950. I’ve felt some hostility in the past [toward Russians] but it was hidden. Now it’s flourishing and really hurts. It hurts to see that between people because although I understand the hostility between the government and officials, I don’t understand enmity between common people. This is not right. 2014 was the crucial year [when the situation worsened] – Russians were regarded as personae non gratae. Some said just go away, just go to Russia.
My daughter from my first marriage lives in Moscow, and my wife’s relatives [are also in Russia]. We avoid communicating about the situation. We speak trifles. I don’t know what [my daughter] thinks about the situation.
We’re anxious. I live with my wife and she’s not well. We have no place to hide. So we’re just waiting. I’m reading the news every day. We’re anxious about how it will develop. I don’t have a gun, I don’t know how to fight back.
I’m Russian, but I support my [Ukrainian] government and support the help that we’ve been offered from the west. I’m on the side of Ukraine, although I’m Russian, down to my bones. But Ukraine is my real native country. Victor, 72, Kyiv, former scientist
‘There is a terrible tension’
I look at the news every 30-40 minutes and it has a huge impact on my mental health … but I can’t stop and I can’t think of anything else. I am very scared for my family – my four-year-old daughter and husband. I want to live my life in my beloved country, Ukraine, in my beloved city, Odessa. Live in a European democratic society. I want to make plans for the future, have another child, travel the world. But now I can’t plan anything. Even a trip to visit relatives in another area on the weekends. Because I do not know what awaits me tomorrow.
Everything is calm on the streets – you might even think that nothing is happening. People are just trying to live their lives. But there is a terrible tension. Everyone around is trying not to talk about a possible Russian attack. And even at home we try not to talk about it. Everyone just reads the news every day and then I see in the eyes of my friends, neighbours and family the degree of growing anxiety.
Yesterday my husband said that if the situation becomes the worst situation, [she should go] with the baby outside the country, and [he would] stay to [fight]. Now we live like it’s the last day, we try to be happy and take time with our family and do our work. Because we don’t know what will be tomorrow. Anastasiia, 34, Odessa, store manager
