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 all 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 all throughout 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. Reminiscent of WWII terrifying dive bomber attacks. It was even more terrifying to hear dozens of drones diving in and striking one by one. 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. The incoming cruise missile where met with a bunch of interceptors. Bright lights of ascending missiles were illuminating my windows, more explosions then followed.

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, 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, we had 28 people dead and 150+ injured.

It is a daily reality we live in.