Kiev's new everyday life: How Russia's drones are wearing down normality

Russia's drones now follow a different rhythm. They come to Kiev around the clock: morning, noon, evening, night. Not in hundreds, but individually. First five, an hour later three, then two more. Sirens sound every time. The drones now have jet propulsion and glide through the air quickly and hissingly, almost like a cruise missile.

The anti-aircraft machine guns used to only be heard at night in the Ukrainian capital, but their sound is now part of everyday life. You can see air defense pickups on the bridges. Fighter planes are even flying in the surrounding area. After the attacks, the sky over the city is covered in thick smoke. Sometimes it only disappears after hours and reveals the view of the summer sky.

The new drones have changed something fundamental. The constant air raids are wearing down and disrupting processes and routines. They are damaging the economy and threatening something that Ukrainians, especially in the capital, have defiantly preserved for four years: normal everyday life.

Russia, on the other hand, usually still fires ballistic missiles at night. Usually several in quick succession. As soon as they are noticed on the radars, the first warnings land on cell phones. But Ukraine lacks certain anti-aircraft ammunition. That's why almost all of the rockets that Russia's army fires in the border areas hit. In Kyiv alone there are sometimes twenty pieces in one night. The ballistic impacts are loud and crashing, and the vibrations can be felt for miles. Russia is ramping up its own production and is also using North Korean missiles.

Civilians can best prepare for combined large-scale attacks with cruise missiles. As soon as Russia's air force relocates its strategic bombers, the first warnings come across cell phone screens. If you want to be particularly safe, go to an air raid shelter or a subway station. But most people sleep at home, perhaps in a room without windows if they live in a dangerous area. There are many factors to consider: Are there power plants or logistics centers nearby? Is there even a shelter that is accessible? How urgently do you need restful sleep in your own bed?

It's hard to prepare for the drones that are constantly flying in. These days in Kiev you can often see people sheltering in pedestrian underpasses during the day while others stubbornly trudge past. With shopping bags in their hands or children on their arms, they are not waiting for a rain shower, but for the alarm to end. There are dozens of them every day, plus precise warnings from the air force with the type of drone and the approximate direction. But there are now so many warnings that hardly anyone gets around to reading them all.

Just a few months ago everything was different. The drones were slower and had propellers rather than jet propulsion. The sound of the engine was reminiscent of scooters passing by, so people called them mopeds. Or Shaheds, based on the Iranian originals, which Moscow quickly recreated and then continually developed. Even at the beginning of the summer, Russia would sometimes target hundreds a night on a single city to overload anti-aircraft defenses. In March there were almost 1,000 drones within 24 hours. But Ukrainian air defense adapted. Nine out of ten incoming propeller drones were recently intercepted with the help of inexpensive interceptor drones.

The new models fly at a speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour. Thanks to a Chinese jet engine, they are faster than the Ukrainian interceptor drones. Their fifty-kilogram warheads cause devastating damage. Early in the morning you drive through thick clouds of smoke in some suburbs of Kiev, and you can see burned-out warehouses and sorting centers on the side of the road.

The drone attacks spread throughout the day are intended to wear down the population and make everyday life impossible. So far, Ukrainians have managed to maintain a normal life in the cities. Even in Kharkiv, only around 30 kilometers from the front, you can visit restaurants, sports halls and even a nightclub these days. In the parks you can see people eating ice cream or jogging. Preserving this normality is vital for Ukraine’s survival. This is the only way to keep the economy running and prevent an even greater exodus of people.

Russia seems to be aiming for traffic chaos. Kiev, for example, is separated by the Dnipro River, with only two metro lines and a few vehicle bridges connecting both banks. Since the subways travel above ground over the river, they are stopped for safety reasons during the air alert. The alarm now becomes a real problem in rush hour traffic in the morning and evening. Hundreds of thousands of commuters want to get to the other side. More people than already are taking their cars out of fear of a subway interruption. This further congests the chronically overcrowded streets. People sometimes travel for hours to get to their jobs. Appointments and appointments will be postponed.

The attacks also affect the everyday lives of the youngest children. The new school year started on September 1st. In schools, when the alarm goes off, all children actually have to go to a shelter. Those schools that do not have their own are now switching to online teaching.

Orientation in the city has also become more difficult. A phenomenon that was more widely known from places close to the front such as Kharkiv or Kramatorsk is now also everyday life in Kiev. To mislead Russian weapons, GPS signals are jammed. Navigation apps show an incorrect location or the blue dot doesn't move. If you don't know your way around, you can quickly get lost.

Due to the cessation of air traffic, the railways have a special role to play. Passenger numbers have skyrocketed since the start of the war. Anyone traveling out of the country now either drives or takes a train to the neighboring countries of Poland, Moldova or Romania. European heads of state and government also regularly travel in this way. The gigantic route network in Ukraine is not comparable to Western European countries. Even between large cities, only a few trains run daily. But the railway was always an anchor of reliability during the war. Despite all the logistical difficulties, the trains were on time.

This is over for now. Russia is increasingly attacking railway facilities or the trains themselves. In August, several train drivers died in this way. Just last week, six railway employees died when a train depot in Kiev was shelled. Trains cannot leave during the air alert. Delays lasting hours are now the norm, especially on night train connections.

Because of the danger posed by the new drones, trains are being evacuated on the open route. This happens every day around Kharkiv, Odessa and Dnipro. The trains often leave there hours late. During the journey the train suddenly brakes. An announcement follows: All passengers must leave. In the best case, at a village train station, often on the open route. In complete darkness, the passengers then jump down into the track bed and stumble over the rails to the next embankment. Drowsy people find themselves in a T-shirt in the cold of the night. Parents calm their confused children. But these are not moments of panic. Most people react routinely.

Every night of attacks claims human lives. In July, almost 200 civilians were killed by drones and missiles in cities far from the front lines. Dozens of people were killed in an attack on an ammunition depot near Kiev the weekend before last. In these cases, a local day of mourning is declared. This is noticeable, for example, in the fact that no music is allowed to be played. In nightclubs that are still open, the atmosphere is subdued.

A drive through the country gives you an idea of ​​the immense price that soldiers at the front pay every day. The seas of blue and yellow flags in the cemeteries are getting bigger. Soldiers' graves can be discovered even in tiny towns. When a fallen soldier returns, the funeral procession runs through the village. Car traffic is stopped. Passers-by take off their hats, some kneel down.

The media mainly carries images of destruction and suffering into the world. But up close, drones and rockets seem to be lost in a city of millions. Kyiv is anything but a ruined landscape, but it does have noticeable scratches here and there. In some districts you can see the many hits. Their streets are reminiscent of cities near the front, where plywood panels replace cracked windows. Around the Lukyanivska metro station, for example, you can see countless windowless buildings next to a burnt-out shopping center. But everyday life makes its way even here. The market is still taking place. Pensioners spread out berries, flowers and flea market junk in front of the charred skeleton. Homeless people can be seen looking for something usable in the burned-out shopping center.

Russia's attacks are now increasingly directed against the Ukrainian economy. Warehouses and sorting centers of supermarket chains and mail order companies are affected. According to the Minister of Agriculture, around ninety percent of modern food storage facilities in the country were destroyed. But so far, empty shelves are more likely to be seen on social media than in reality. The supermarkets apparently quickly managed to switch to direct deliveries without intermediate storage. The economic damage is immense.

The air war remains a permanent race. One side develops new weapons and changes its attack structure. Then it takes time for the other side to adjust. Rules are changed, antidotes are found - and weapons are often copied. Solutions are already being worked on in Kyiv. In the future, the air alert will be divided into two levels: yellow and red. In the future, some emergency measures will only apply during the higher alert level. A subway line will soon cross the river despite the sirens. The warnings should become even more precise. It is an attempt by politicians to regain normality. Piece by piece.