r/Kyiv • u/Dry_Criticism_4161 • 20d ago
How are you all feeling?
How do you, living there, feel?
I need to make a decision whether to leave Kyiv or not but ideally I would stay.
Are you scared for the winter?
Are there any areas which you feel are safer than others?
Thank you
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u/SnooSquirrels2315 20d ago
Weather is fine, internet is good, people is awesome, there is no other place on the planet called Ukraine )
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u/2hcom 20d ago
It reminds me last year. Same drones problem. But last year attacks were massive and in night. Now single drones, but all the day. Though no massive missiles strikes, it's good.
Not very scared about winter. It would be hard for sure, but I don't know how it can surprise.
If you understand what is energy collaps in the city while -15 Celsius, you can stay. If you don't, it's better move to Lviv or Uzhorod.
I think the US embassy area is pretty safe. RF and US have a good relations now, so strikes into embassy are unlikely. There is a condominium ther named "Green island 2" just close to fence.
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 20d ago
But do all buildings lose heating ?
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u/2hcom 20d ago
Constant heating like 24/7 only in private houses. Almost all buildings heats periodically. Districts like Darnytsa and Nivky could be without any heating for a couple weeks. Or if your building caught freezed pipes while been without energy, it will be without heating for some days. It's often happens with old buildings in centre.
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 19d ago
Well, the building next to mine got blown up today.
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u/2hcom 19d ago
It's a good reason to drink a beer. On Antonovich strt?
I left Dobrobut hospital 1 hour before strike. I don't think my tests still exist, should do one more time.
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 19d ago
I’m in royal tower 1, on Saksahansgoho. Building next to it got blown up
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u/2hcom 19d ago
Lol, was on the roof there last week, hope the building is ok, because after strike on Saksaganskogo a year or two ago, it was a long period with broken glass near the swings
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 19d ago
Why didn’t u come say hi??? I’ve escaped to Lviv in the meantime, lol. Dm me
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 19d ago
Oh wait, dobrobut is what was struck, so you were there too? For fucks sakeeee
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u/slava_zsu 20d ago
there isn't really a safer area, just buildings that are easier to live in when the power drops. I'd only stay if you can reach a basement in a couple minutes and ride out a long outage (portable power station, water, one warm room) without your work falling apart. if that's not realistic, wanting to stay isn't a plan.
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u/Unlucky_Road9934 20d ago
My thought will be different than a lot of people since Im not Ukrainian. I have been here since the 8th and while I love all the volunteer work I have been doing it has been scary. It hurts me to see all the folks who are scared, the kids crying when drones are shot down above our building, and the people who have become so numb to it all. I feel a weird sense of imposter syndrome because I chose to be here. But despite that it doesnt make it any less scary especially since I have never been through anything like this before.
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u/Unlucky_Road9934 20d ago
I do love my neighbor who turns on EDM anytime things become particularly loud at night 😅 He is a really kind dude who actually carried the cases of water that were delivered to me to my door
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 20d ago
So you think leaving is a good choice ?
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u/Unlucky_Road9934 20d ago
I sadly have to leave soon because I used up my PTO. So I will return once I have more. So probably this winter so I can drop off more supplies.
Edit: sorry for the amount of times I said so.
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u/earthtree1 20d ago
It’s ok. Not scared of a winter, there were tough winters before, and I heard this one will be mild. But if you can leave temporarily and work remotely or something then for purely selfish reasons I would say go, the less people stay here - the better it is going to be for people staying on average.
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 20d ago
Explain your last sentence ?
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u/earthtree1 20d ago
if the population density is lower then probability of people dying is necessarily also lower. then we have the supplies - for food and other consumables wouldn’t matter much cause it’s not a siege and there’s no problem with deliveries across the country (although coke zero begs to differ). For hot water - if demand would be lower less energy would have to be used freeing more for general consumption, tho i don’t know how much can pressure vary in the pipes. It is tenfold that for electricity, as it is a local supply and so less people - less draw on the grid. It’s a hundredfold for damaged infrastructure, as if a transformer is destroyed, the backup line may not have the capacity to cover everyone. That’s what happened to my apartment last winter, where I only had power for a couple of hours at night because the backup line would overheat until the main one would be repaired. So if without a loss of quality of life or sanity can temporarily move to a safer region, or even better - abroad you would literally help everyone out.
take all of this with a grain of salt however, as even tho I think it was implied I shall emphasize - I am only considering the worst case scenario.
P.S. Obviously, I should mention that you specifically, or you and your loved ones leaving will not move a needle on all that shit, it is just a reminder, that unless you have people who depend on you here - leaving will probably be best for those who leave and for those who stay, so you shouldn’t feel bad about it
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 20d ago
It’s more I depend on ppl bc I’m disabled and my condition makes travel hard and can make me more disabled ( I have me cfs). My doctor advised me to NOst travel atm, and try to improve first. He said only travel if u have to save ur life. lol. And idk how to assess that risk
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u/earthtree1 20d ago
Apologies, I shouldn’t have assumed.
If that is what he said then all I can say is probability of you dying from an attack is not zero but very low. For the rest - I imagine you were present in the city during previous winters. Could be a bit worse, could be a bit better.
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 20d ago
No I wasn’t. I only got here in August. How was it? I thought premium buildings or better buildings keep electricity and heating ?
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u/earthtree1 20d ago
it was fine. I don’t remember it ever being cold (as tho central heating stopping) for me and my building is old. But some of my friends did lose heating temporarily. I would say that it depends on just luck. But i seem to recall some left bank districts had no heating for weeks.
Sweeping statements won’t work here cause even premium buildings can’t create energy out of nothing unfortunately, and heating is very energy expensive. Especially if it’s electric and relies on a grid. You should investigate building by building and check what kind of precautions they have if you plan on moving. Also, it won’t hurt to be ready to book a hotel for a couple of weeks if a push comes to shove.
Renting a house can also be a solution, as they can have thick walls and also some old school stoves that uses firewood.
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u/Dry_Criticism_4161 20d ago
Are hotels better equipped? I can afford a hotel for sure
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u/earthtree1 20d ago
All I can confidently say that when my friend lost heating at her house for a couple of weeks she moved to a hotel temporarily as a workaround. Hotels are good cause unlike lease if you lose heating at your place in the morning you can probably be in a warm room by evening
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u/SK1990xx 20d ago
So I'm British and was only in Kyiv for 3 weeks until last Monday (it was my 8th trip) but I honestly want to be back helping my friends there...
That said, its honestly just about getting as prepped as you can, be aware of if your building has blackout resistance (backup power) try your best to get a full home backup system, or failing that atleast get powerbanks and whatever you can, but no area is really safer than others in Kyiv, its just about energy and water safety before winter <3
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u/elephant_ua 20d ago
went to Chinese tea ceremony with friends, had lots of fun. Apart from air strikes which is unlikely to hit me specifically, and conscription, for which i am too young for now, everything is kinda alright
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u/4galaxy 19d ago
Hi there! I moved from Kyiv to the suburbs—specifically to Irpin—quite some time ago. I’m very happy with the decision now because it’s a quieter area; you might want to consider this option. The commute (1+ hours) is the price you pay for relative safety (Shahed/Geran drones fly over here too, but there haven't been any direct hits—so far). As for the winter, I am personally not worried; we are better prepared now than we were in 2022–2023. Municipal facilities have backup power, though I recommend verifying this. Many residential buildings have installed their own generators to ensure water supply and elevator operation—this is also something worth checking. And then there’s personal experience: a reserve of electricity and water, and a portable gas stove. And one last point regarding safety: as I already mentioned, it is much quieter in the suburbs—specifically here, because Irpin is being developed as a residential area (without warehouses, offices, and the like; while this is generally a major problem, in this instance, it is a plus). And specifically for Kyiv, there is this interesting map. It is in Ukrainian, but it features a heat map and an address search function, so I think you’ll be able to figure it out. https://kyivsafety.com/
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u/Wise_Signal_9350 20d ago
As a Ukrainian who live in Kyiv - I really really want to go from here. Im not scared, i just really think that all will be worse.