Saint Michael’s Monastery in Kiev looked particularly spectacular on Monday – its golden dome glittered in the bright winter sun. It was hard to think of a war in the midst of all that beauty.
For most Ukrainians, however, the thought of a possible war is never far away. They’ve been thinking about it for eight years now, since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Now it’s only getting more real.
“This feeling, it’s something new. Before, we didn’t feel such tension and real danger. We had conflicts, but there was no real danger to Kiev,” Taras Samchuk, a 32-year-old historian, told DailyExpertNews. “It was a small conflict, two groups, the Ukrainian army, the Russian army – or separatists – but now there are 100,000 soldiers near our borders and a lot of rockers… so I think we have to be prepared. In case that.”
Samchuk said he doesn’t think there will be an attack, but wants to be prepared anyway. As a precaution, he and his wife will also receive her sister for a few days.
“Just in case something happens. It’s hard to cover even 15 kilometers in the city,” he said.
His parents, born and raised in the Soviet era, don’t think it’s necessary.
“Our parents say nothing will happen, so as not to be afraid. Because they are Russians, they just try typical tactics of Soviet politicians or the time of the late Russian Empire, late 19th century, just to show the power, by saying they will be in Kiev in two days’, he said.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Andriy Krachevskiy said he is concerned about the impact of the tensions on economic tensions in Ukraine, but is convinced there will be no war.
“Certainly not in the coming months,” he said.
His parents live near Mariupol, in a Ukrainian-controlled area in Donbas, a region now partially controlled by the separatists. He said they too have not noticed much change in recent weeks despite all the headlines about escalations, and are not thinking about leaving the area. “They are where they want to be.”
The idea that a Russian invasion could be “imminent” seems almost far-fetched on the streets of the Ukrainian capital – a bustling European city where people do their business. Public transport remains busy, shops are well stocked and open, and restaurants are still inviting. But while nothing seems out of the ordinary, Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko is drawing up emergency plans, including shelter, evacuation procedures and maintenance of communications.
Miroslava Grigorieva, 53, told DailyExpertNews she wasn’t even willing to worry about a war that might or might not happen. She said she avoids the news and focuses on staying optimistic and calm.
“What we see in the media, it’s all political and I don’t want to internalize it, so I don’t listen to it,” Grigorieva told DailyExpertNews. “An average Ukrainian and an average Russian, we all want peace, everyone wants peace … We want mutual respect and be able to communicate normally.”