Missilophobia

July 17, 2024

The inevitable thing in a war is that my son is terrified of thunder now. It sounds somehow similar to missile strikes and each time we have a thunderstorm, he runs into a corridor away from windows to seek shelter. But I don’t think it is brontophobia - the fear of thunder. Rather it is a case of missilophobia.

Today, our side of the city didn’t get much rain. It happens sometimes when you live on a big river - one bank could have a weather different from the other.

So it rained on the other side. We got a lot of thunder though. Heavy powerful rumbles could be heard for hours.

Closer to midnight the thunder was long gone, but it was everything, but quiet. Russian drones were closing in on Kyiv from the east - seems like I’m on a vector of attack… Again.

Then, there was an explosion. Most certainly caused by an anti-aircraft missile intercepting a nearby drone. It was so forceful, that I jumped out of my chair. The blast was followed by smaller prolonged secondary explosions and sounds of falling debris.

It was a stealthy drone that managed to penetrate the city undetected and was engaged when already inside the city limits.

Well, I can confidently say that the sound is different. There was no doubt in my mind even for a second that the explosion was caused by thunder.

We were lucky this evening and nobody was hurt by the falling debris. So it is a good day overall.