By Joti Heir
The cement floor of KyivB次元官网网址檚 subway system is designed for moving feet, not tired backs, but Iryna Pastoschchuk has been sleeping on it for more than three weeks now.
Pastoschchuk was a copywriter living in a cozy apartment near the cafe-lined boulevards of UkraineB次元官网网址檚 capital, Kyiv. On Feb. 24 she woke to the wailing of air raid sirens and raced to the nearest bomb shelter as Russian attacks pounded the country from the north, south and east.
B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know, I donB次元官网网址檛 know how [it] feel[s],B次元官网网址� she says as she huddles on her fleece blanket next to the underground railway tracks.
When the explosions are close they sound like thunder dropped. The vibrations seem to shake your heart first and then the windows.
Some three million people have already made it to neighboring countries; another seven million are displaced internally. ThatB次元官网网址檚 close to a quarter of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 population.
The millions that have stayed like Pastoschchuk now live in a perpetual night in the halls of subway stations, bomb shelters and basements across the country.
B次元官网网址淥ur army will protect us and kill Russian soldiers,B次元官网网址� says Pastoschchuk.
She shares her corner of the subway station with Julia and Timothy, JuliaB次元官网网址檚 hedgehog. Three weeks ago, Julia and Pastoschchuk didnB次元官网网址檛 know the other existed. Now they go to sleep together, wake up together and disbelieve together.
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While the metro works for part of the day, the main function of KyivB次元官网网址檚 subway now is as a 24-hour bomb shelter. At its deepest, it is 346 feet below the surface B次元官网网址� about the same as stadiums like BC Place are high.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not worried about myself, I am worried about my family. They live in the south,B次元官网网址� says Julia.
The south has been beaten, mauled, and choked. Russia is deeply invested in taking control of the area and its waterways. Russian and Ukrainian exports like grain and fertilizers ship through the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Ukraine exports close to 27 million metric tonnes of corn and 20 million metric tonnes of wheat annually. Now farmers who should be fertilizing fall wheat and start spring planting are using tractors to haul captured Russian tanks.
The port city of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov has been ravaged. It is bombarded daily, families drop their dead into shallow graves and make haste to get back indoors. Mariupol residents who try to evacuate are forced onto buses by Russian forces and driven over the border into Russia.
Julia says her family is still alive. Across from Pastoschchuk and Julia is Hlab. The video game programmer shares his space with his mother, father, little sister and a stranger they met in the underground.
For a little privacy, theyB次元官网网址檝e hung blue garbage bags like the plastic strips in a car wash in front of their piece of the subway platform. Behind the strips are five sets of thin blankets, sheets and a few cushions. In front of the plastic, theyB次元官网网址檝e set up a table and two chairs. On the table sit canned food, crackers, cookies, water, juice, pop and an electric kettle.
B次元官网网址淭he first day we were not sure we would be able to get some food so we bought a lot of food. A lot of canned food, bread, vegetables, candies,B次元官网网址� says Hlab.
Just before the invasion, Hlab was excited about being promoted to a more senior position at video game developer Ubisoft. Now, he doesnB次元官网网址檛 know what the future will hold. He tries to fill his days.
B次元官网网址淎t night we are here, in the day we go up and do some volunteer work. Like for example, two days ago I did some humanitarian work for the Territorial Defense, B次元官网网址� says Hlab.
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Going up is getting increasingly dangerous in Kyiv. Russian forces sit a 20-minute drive outside of the city center. Shelling now takes place almost every night and while the Russians say they are not targeting civilians, the buildings hit are almost always residential.
While Western countries have placed sanctions on Russian companies, organizations and oligarchs, Russia continues with its attacks across the country, most recently close to UkraineB次元官网网址檚 border with Poland.
UkraineB次元官网网址檚 President Volodymyr Zelensky frequently posts video messages online aimed at boosting morale within the country. It appears to be working.
B次元官网网址淭his is my home, my city and I donB次元官网网址檛 think Russians will be able to take it over,B次元官网网址� says Hlab.
The capital city is a fortress now with checkpoints and blockades on every access road into the city center. Civilians armed with rifles patrol the streets alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
If Kyiv falls, the country falls.
B次元官网网址淚 think one way or another we are going to win this war,B次元官网网址� Hlab says.
Joti Heir is reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine
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