Voices from Ground Zero: Kyiv residents say, Ukraine will never give in; Russia firing at children, civilians

If one looks in the world of words, then defiance is a word that can describe the Ukrainian people. Left alone by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other Western Powers, the locals in the city of Kyiv are defending the city with sheer will-power to stop Russians from entering the capital-city - Kyiv.

Led by their ‘hero’ President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, their story is of bravery, hope, betrayals and determination to fight. “I didn’t vote for him in the last presidential election, but now I think he is a hero,” said Mary, a local in the capital city of Kyiv.

“We may have 100, 500 claims against Zelensky in peacetime. But now his actions deserve respect! He is no longer a comedian. He is a fighter,” she said.

‘War in 21st century’

After the devastating two great wars, it is a nightmare for the Europeans to think of a full-blown invasion of a European capital in the 21st century. “I can’t believe and I am shocked that someone has bombed a capital-city of a European nation in 2022,” a local English teacher Vlad Bilovol from the city of Kyiv said.

“I had never thought that I would actually see my city getting bombarded like this,” he said.

He said that food is running out in the city and that supplies are short in Kyiv. “Shelves in stores are half empty now. The food is not enough. The local administration is doing everything to keep the food supplies running. Most medicines in drug stores are being bought by volunteers from the army and hospitals,” Bilovol said.

He said that bombing has disturbed the life of citizens in his city. “Due to constant bombing we can’t sleep or eat normally. In the last few days, we have also learned how to sit and talk in the dark. We close all the lights so that Russian jets don’t drop bombs on us,” he said. He was woken up at 5 am and Bilovol said that it was the scariest moment of his life. “The first Russian ballistic rockets hit the Boryspil Airport,” he said.

‘Documenting war crimes’

As the death count in the ongoing Ukraine war keeps jumping with each side claiming to have killed more than the other, the Kyiv residents allege that Russians have committed war crimes following their invasion of the western-neighbour, Ukraine.

“Russia is committing war crimes. They also killed medics in other cities of Ukraine whose video has gone viral on social media. It is very important that all these war crimes are recorded properly. Sooner or later, Putin and his comrades will be brought to justice. So, it becomes very important to document Russia’s war crimes,” human rights defender and Kyiv resident Oleksandra Matviichuk said. She said that as of now, there is no official data about the death counts.

“The Russian data about the death is all fake. We cannot mourn our death. Let us clear our motherland from this illegal invasion then only we can sit and mourn for our martyrs,” she said.

On Sunday, UNHCR on its official Twitter handle said that the refugee crisis continues to rise in the war-torn Ukraine. “#Ukraine refugee numbers have just been refreshed - these are based on data made available by national authorities. The current total is now 368,000 and continues to rise,” said UNHCR.

Meanwhile, Oleksandra Matviichuk said that the locals in Kyiv have put up a force called Territorial Defence Force (TDF) to fight against the Russians.

“TDF is not a professional army. TDF is in other cities too. My close friend Natalia along with her father tried to join to defend our motherland. However, the TDF could not take them in because her father was over 60-years of age. Second, the volunteer queue was serpentine and my friend could not make it in time to fill in the formalities,” she said.

She said that TDF is supported, funded and looked after by the Ukraine’s Official Key Administration, the local authorities. “These are the most difficult times for us as humans as well as the country. People everywhere are helping each other and sharing their food with others. People are very warm to each other. This gesture is what keeps us going against the Russians,” said Oleksandra Matviichuk.

She said that the children are the most distressed lot as they have not known about this type of disturbances. “Since we have shifted to bunkers, children repeatedly keep asking why Russians have invaded our country. It is difficult for their parents to make them understand what is actually happening. But to the surprise of all of us, the children quietly sit in the bunkers and follow all the war instructions,” she said.

When asked about her family, she did not give the location of her family or talked about their wellbeing, fearing Russian spying. “I can’t give you the location of my family. The Russians are hacking everything of ours. There are spies everywhere,” she said.

‘Russians firing at children’

As the daily casualties across the cities of Kharkiv and Kyiv have been increasing due to unprecedented bombardment, the locals have alleged that Russians are firing at buildings where children are holding up.

“Russian forces have surrounded our capital. They are trying to take control of important infrastructures. Many residents have not left Kyiv. The Russians have fired at buildings where children and civilians were holding-up,” said a local journalist Andrii, who works for the local Novy channel in Kyiv.

He said that although the capital-city has basic amenities but situation can take an ugly turn any time.

“Russians have fired heavy mortars and other weapons around Kyiv. If they destroy main objects like the power plants (they also took control of Chernobyl. Situation there is threatening), it will be a humanitarian catastrophe for us,” said Andrii.

Remembering the Russian invasion timing, Andrii underlined that she would never be able to forget that fateful Friday morning. “We were at home when the Russian invasion took place. It was around 5 am (Eastern European Time (EET). The Russians came in via Belarus and Crimea. The scenes were horrible and I don’t think I can ever forget it,” she said.

She said that cellular connectivity has played a major role for the residents to keep them connected with the near and dear ones. “My mother is in hospital because she is a doctor (surgeon). She can’t leave her work. Most of my relatives can’t leave Kyiv now. The mobile connection has played an important role in all our activities. It is our lifeline now,” said Andrii.

‘We will never give up’

The shortage in essential supplies began to take its toll soon after the Russian army surrounded the capital city of Kyiv.

“We can sleep only here (bunker), and it is not completely safe. We have problems with medicines because pharmacies don’t work now. Our army is most brave. We will never give up,” Maria Taradai wrote to this reporter on Telegram from her bunker in the dead of the night.

Maria is a student pursuing Bachelor's Degree from Kyiv National Economic University (KNEU) in the city of Kyiv.

She said that her people are on the offensive against the invaders. “We detain saboteurs and destroy tanks with Molotov cocktails,” said Maria.

Comparing the Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to a ‘terrorist’ for terrorising the Ukrainians, Maria said that the Russian President has destroyed the lives of the common people. “Putin is a terrorist. Russia has been attacking Ukrainian civilians in Donbas for eight years now. We never asked him to send troops and start a war. He destroyed civilians. He used banned weapons such as cluster bombs. He threatens to bombard the nuclear plant,” she said.

‘Friend’s betrayal’

The local Ukrainians have felt betrayed by the Indian government’s decision to abstain from voting against the Russian invasion at the hurriedly called United Nations Security Council session.

“We all were surprised by India abstaining from voting in the UN. We expected it from China, but not from a country whose one of the greatest persons was Mahatma Gandhi. I have always admired him, and his story inspired me. And I know how kind, wise and generous people the Indians are. I hope India will choose the right side in these terrible times,” Vlad, a local Kyvian photographer said.

He said that under present circumstances the entire world must be united against Russian aggression. “Only together we can stand this injustice and stop Putin and make the world a better place,” he said.

Locals in Ukraine are expecting that India will change its position very soon to oppose the Russian invasion. “India’s refraining was unexpected for us. We expect that India should change her position. Probably, it was a political decision, we know about Moscow and New Delhi weapon contracts. Russian soldiers have committed war crimes in Ukraine. We hope for your support. It would be very important for us,” said Andrii, a local journalist.