'We love our country’ — As Russia steps up its attacks, Kyiv residents choose to stay

Sales manager Victoriia Nikishyna was sheltering with her cat in the stairwell when a Russian drone struck a residential building in Kyiv, leaving several rooms in her apartment without windows.

“We’re still holding on. We haven’t fully processed what happened,” Nikishyna told the Kyiv Independent as State Emergency Service crews continued working at the scene.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. The June 10 strike against the capital was one of the largest strikes since the beginning of the full-scale war.

The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted more than five hours as repeated explosions rocked the city. A woman was killed, and four other people were injured in the capital, according to local authorities.

The renewed assault comes just a day after Russia launched a record 499 aerial weapons against Ukraine, including drones and multiple types of missiles.

Despite the recent uptick in attacks against the capital, local residents see no desire to leave. Looking weary and visibly shaken, Nikishyna didn’t hesitate to explain why she was staying in Kyiv.

“This is my favorite city, this is my home, so we choose to live at home,” she said.

Other residents of the damaged residential complex echoed her sentiment. Some cited personal reasons, but all agreed that leaving would not guarantee a better life.

“My family is here, my work is here, my life is here. You wake up somehow, drink your coffee, and keep going,” said project manager Yana Hrosheva, who lives in the residential complex damaged by the strike.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 315 Shahed drones and decoys, along with two North Korean ballistic missiles and five Iskander cruise missiles — the majority aimed at Kyiv. All seven missiles were intercepted, 213 attack drones were shot down, and 64 more were neutralized by electronic warfare.

Amid the Russian attack, fires broke out in high-rise buildings, homes, cars, and warehouses in multiple districts, including in the damaged 25-storey building located in Kyiv’s Obolon district in the historic Kurenivka neighborhood.

At the scene, smoke was rising, and a helicopter was actively extinguishing the fire.

“I’ve been living in Kyiv for the past 16 years. I have my home, my job here. I simply don’t want to leave everything I’ve built behind and go into the unknown,” said Elvira Nechyporenko, who works as a project manager in a construction firm.

IT specialist Oleksii Pashuta recalled that Russian drones had flown near their building a few times before. This time, though, the buzzing grew louder — then came the explosion. Despite the constant threat, his wife refuses to leave Ukraine with their son.

“She doesn’t want to leave because she doesn’t believe life would be better abroad,” he said.

“She doesn’t want to leave her parents or me. She’s heard too many stories of families falling apart when separated — so she’s decided to stay.”

For others, the decision to stay is also one of duty.

“First of all, my husband is a serviceman. I won’t leave him — a wife is his support. We have a whole family here, children — a girl and a boy — and we all stand with their father,” said Liudmyla Dobrenko, who lives in the residential area and serves in the Armed Forces.

“We decided that we will stay in our country anyway. We were born here, we love our country.”

Note from the author:

Hello there! This is Kateryna Denisova, the author of this piece. Russia’s attacks on Kyiv and across Ukraine continue relentlessly, with no ceasefire in sight. My colleagues and I are working around the clock here on the ground to bring you the latest updates. Your support helps make this work possible.

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