Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I woke to the nightmare of bomb attack
FRIDAY SATURDAY
in Kyiv
AT 3am Vladimir Putin announces “a special military operation” in eastern Ukraine. Minutes later, missiles rain down on cities – including Kyiv, where I’ve been since February 14.
At first, the mood is defiant. I go out and see a man waving a Ukrainian flag. People are on the streets. Some manage to laugh.
But as the day wears on, the reality becomes clearer. Queues for cash machines snake down the streets. I join one, but am only allowed to withdraw £25. Roads out of the city are gridlocked as thousands head to Poland.
Others pack and head to the safety of metro stations.
The atmosphere darkens. Early on, air raid sirens ring out. I hear the government is handing out guns to citizens.
On the streets, I run into some who have taken them up – people of all ages and backgrounds. Defiant, they want to defend their families, and their homeland.
Outside every apartment block, I see people loading their cars and weeping.
I head to a metro station. Incredibly, some of the trains are still running but every platform is rammed.
It’s like a scene from the Second World War. So many old and vulnerable people are here – some people have even brought their pets.
Shops and pharmacies are closing. I have to walk two miles to buy a pizza.
The night is disturbed by air raid sirens and gunfire.
I hear an apartment block has been hit by a missile so I plan to find a driver and go there. ATMs are starting to empty, and you can only withdraw cash if you have a foreign bank account.
When I get to the block, I’m stunned to find no one is dead. But I can’t help think how far the effects of this war will reach. Europe is yet to feel the impact.