War In Ukraine: People Take Refuge In The Kyiv Metro

Dozens of citizens of the capital seek refuge in underground stations against the attack of Putin’s Russia

Among the images that arrive from Ukraine, following the attack on Putin’s Russia, the ones that struck me most show dozens of people who took refuge in the Kyiv metro, bringing with them few kinds of comfort.

The videos disseminated on social media portray families with small children, people with trolleys and suitcases. Some have found a place on some benches and others have sat on the ground. Someone has mattresses and sleeping bags to face the night.

You have to cover yourself well from the cold with heavy jackets, caps, and scarves. Many have the phone in hand to communicate with loved ones and look for information or updates on the situation.

The large underground corridors of the Ukrainian capital’s metro, with its large stations and tunnels, have thus become real bunkers deemed safe against bombs and artillery.

These people leave their beds in the subway only for the time necessary to get food and things necessary to camp. The displaced, after being forced to leave their homes, seek shelter in every possible way. This is war.

From his hiding place in the metro Anastasiya Menzhega, a 25-year-old Ukrainian architect and designer, told the media:

“I spent the night here in a Kyiv metro station to take shelter. I only went out for a moment this morning to buy some food, some sheets, and a pillow to stay here at least another two days”