Burning Skyline

The night started with a usual air raid alert, nothing out of the ordinary. Enemy drones were approaching the city. But after the initial strike package, more and more drones were coming in. An annoying buzz of two-cycle engines could be heard throughout the night.

The sky was sliced with tracing bullets, and firework-like puffs of delay-fuzed shells accompanied by occasional anti-aircraft missiles. Once in a while, a lucky shot would deliver a critical hit, resulting in a bright flash followed by a roaring thunder of an exploding 90kg warhead a few seconds later. When close enough, you can also feel the shockwave hitting your body.

Wave after wave, more suicide drones were coming in, overwhelming air defences and striking througout the city. It is a chilling experience to hear a drone suddenly changing the engine pitch while diving in, resulting in a screaming noise followed by an explosion. I guess it is reminiscent of WWII terrifying dive bomber attacks. My grandfather was listening to the screaming Stuka dives on the battlefields of WWII, and now I’m listening to Shahed dives 80+ years later. War never changes.

It was even more terrifying to hear dozens of drones diving in and striking one after another. Continuous explosions could be heard for hours.

And then enemy missiles arrived. Hypersonic aeroballistics got intercepted high above the city, sending powerful shockwaves down to earth. Then, the incoming cruise missile where met with a bunch of interceptors. Bright lights of ascending anti-missiles were illuminating my windows, followed by even more explosions.

Most of it was over by dawn, with only occasional explosions of remaining drones.

Ruzzians attacked Kyiv with more than 400 various projectiles - dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones.

One missile hit an apartment building, piercing it to the basement and causing it to collapse and bury inhabitants under the rubble.

In my neighbourhood, we got multiple hits with one drone hitting an apartment building (not that different from mine) and killing 3 people.

It is yet another grim morning. When instead of the smell of coffee from a nearby coffee shop, I can smell thick smoke of the burning city, instead of hearing the usual morning city buzz, I’m hearing sirens of firetrucks and ambulances rushing through the ash-covered streets and helicopters flying to the nearby lake to scoop more water. And instead of brightly green hills over Dnipro in my window, I see black smoke all over the horizon.

The fires over the city could be registered from space.

When the dust settled and the rubbles were cleared, 28 people were dead and 150+ more wounded.

The daily reality we live in.