Ukraine war: how escalating attacks are upending lives in Kyiv

Commuters stranded; ⁠children rushed underground in the middle of the school day; festivals cancelled; walks punctuated by booming air defences. Near-constant drone attacks are the stark new reality in Kyiv, and daily life is likely to get harder.

Kyiv has survived many traumas since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Despite the initial shock of war and the advent of attack drones and ballistic missiles, residents adapted and managed to impose a semblance of normality.

But as a fifth full winter of war approaches, that is becoming harder to maintain.

Over the summer, Moscow began sending swarms of high-speed, jet-propelled drones that are ‌more destructive and harder to shoot down than older propeller-powered models.

For the last 10 days, air attacks have been around-the-clock rather than mainly at night, puncturing Ukrainians’ sense that their country’s own long-range drone campaign against Russia was swinging the war back in their favour.