Kyiv Today

While the Waiting Continues: How Kyiv Speaks About Prisoners of War and the Missing

At the “Bells of Hope for Those in Silence” rally on Kyiv's Independence Square, children and elderly people, mothers and fathers, wives and husbands gathered to honor those they are still waiting to welcome home. In their hands they held small bells decorated with blue-and-black ribbons. Their sound was meant to remind the world of people from whom families have…More

Kyiv’s “new normal”: how the city is learning to live between shelling and air raid alerts

At night, Kyiv residents are increasingly waking up not because of an alarm clock, but because of a notification on their phone. Air raid alert. A few seconds to understand where the threat is heading, whether to wake a child, whether there is enough strength to go down to a shelter, or whether it is possible to stay in the…More

Kyiv’s wounds after Russian attacks: what can be rebuilt and what can no longer be restored

Kiev residents have been reading such reports for more than four years. Although such heavily concentrated attacks do not occur every night in the capital or other cities far from the front line, air raid sirens, explosions, and reports of destruction have long become part of the reality of war. According to the Kyiv City State Administration (KMDA), by the…More

Why Kyiv’s Coffee Culture Is More Than Just Coffee

Morning in a Kyiv coffee shop doesn’t begin with the first sip. First comes the sound of the espresso machine, a quick “the usual for you?”, someone opening a laptop, someone else standing by the counter scrolling through the news. At the next table, people are arranging a meeting — then laughter, quiet conversations, pauses. Nobody rushes, but nobody stays…More

Kyiv in bloom: how sakura season quietly changes the city

Right now, one of these moments is happening across the city: sakura trees are in bloom. Near Ivan Franko Square, in the very center, the usual rhythm briefly softens. People pause more. Someone takes a photo, someone just stands for a minute longer than planned. The pink blossoms don’t feel like an event — they feel like a shift in…More

Fifth Easter of the Great War: how Kyiv experienced it

Bright Week — the Easter week — is coming to an end. Kyiv is celebrating it for the fifth time already under the realities of a full-scale war. During this time, the city has endured massive attacks, losses, and farewells, yet it has not lost the ability to come together, preserve its rituals, and celebrate Easter. On the first day…More

The Sun Over Maidan: How Kyiv Lives Through Spring During the War

Spring has returned to Kyiv — after a harsh and exhausting winter for Ukraine. Against the backdrop of losses, shelling, and daily тревога (air-raid alerts), even the familiar change of seasons is perceived differently in the city. But does this spring bring Kyiv’s residents even a little relief? Maidan Nezalezhnosti: where the pulse of Kyiv is felt most strongly today…More