In Ukraine, learn fast or die young
● As a hotel guest in Ukraine, I quickly learnt two things — either go to sleep fully clothed or learn to get dressed really fast.
Being a light sleeper may come in handy because at any minute sirens could go off, alerting you to a possible air raid, a signal to seek safety in designated bomb shelters.
In preparing for the visit, I spoke to journalists who had been to Ukraine and read up a bit about the situation on the ground.
“Kyiv could be any world capital, it’s very hi-tech,” said BBC journalist Andrew Harding the day before we arrived in Ukraine. He had been to the country six times in the past two years.
Harding raved about the city’s restaurants and encouraged us to try their brilliant menus. He also mentioned that Kyiv and Odesa were buzzing, especially with young professionals going about their business.
However, the strict rules and movements of the security team organised for us told a different story. Step out of the hotel for a smoke? They are there. They are also the first to arrive at our meeting points, ensuring it is safe for us to walk in, and they mill about as we try out the country’s diverse flavours.
In Ukraine, on arrival at any establishment — a hotel, restaurant or government building — we are shown the direction of the nearest bomb shelter, usually in the basement.
While our first sprint to a shelter was about midday on our second day in Odesa while in transit between appointments, the more daunting experience was on our third night in the city, when we spent more than three hours in a wine-cellar-turned-bunker — sans the wine.
The sirens had gone off at about 11.40pm, followed by the alert, which beeps on a smartphone app: “Attention! Air raid alert. Proceed to the nearest shelter. Don’t be careless, your overconfidence is your weakness!”
The pre-recorded message is a warning of air raids, and an instruction to take cover in the underground bomb shelters which can withstand Russia’s rocket attacks.
Having not downloaded the app, and it being in the middle of the night, I missed the warning. I was woken by loud banging on my door. “To the shelter, to the shelter,” shouted the head of our security team, gesticulating. That I was wearing a flimsy nightdress was secondary. I managed to grab a gown and my phone before I dashed off.
The small establishment’s wine cellar is fitted with a standard round table and five bar stools. The owners provide bottled water and stable, high-speed Wi-Fi.
The air raid lasted about an hour but as soon as we arrived back in our rooms, a second alert followed. “More drones are coming,” read a WhatsApp message from one of the fixers, and this would last for almost two hours.
We later learnt that two people had died in the attacks.
The pattern continued. In Kyiv, we stayed at a more sophisticated hotel which had transformed its basement parking into a shelter.
Here it is compulsory for every hotel guest to run to the shelter once an announcement is made on the speakers, which are fitted in each room.
The hideout not only has chairs and tables that make it easier to work, but beds too, along with snacks and coffee.
During an early morning raid, the place looks like an office as guests busy themselves on their computers.
Outside, however, ordinary Ukrainians don’t seem flustered by the alerts or much of what is happening around them. This could be a sign of how they have become part of their daily lives.
A few people we spoke to over the past week were tired of the war, but adamant they did not want to be part of Russia.
“There is a sense of patriotic unity about the need to fight and win the war,” said Oleksiy Haran, an expert on international affairs.
The country’s leaders reiterate the need for more resources as their army is running out of ammunition. They too will not back down, as they want Russia to be punished.
Ukraine is on a charm offensive to win over new friends to expand its trade. Its special representative for the Middle East and Africa, Maksym Subkh, confirmed that it wants to double the number of embassies in Africa from 10 to 21 by the end of this year “to deepen co-operation” with African countries.
An expanded reach of Ukraine’s grain supplies may just be another step to the normalcy its citizens are hoping for.