'Whole of Ukraine is in grief' after attacks, but life in Kyiv goes on

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'Whole of Ukraine is in grief' after attacks, but life in Kyiv goes on Just now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleVitaly ShevchenkoKyivBBCUkrainians knew a huge strike was coming. Since Russia threatened to step up attacks on the capital, Kyiv, about a week ago, many spent nights in underground shelters. We were two floors underground, and yet we could feel and hear the massive explosions above.

Then came the Russian drones, possibly carrying more explosives or scouting out the damage done by the missiles. More than 41,000 people - including almost 4,500 children - sheltered underground in the Kyiv metro overnight, a record number in recent years, the metro company said. Even though Moscow had said its attacks would get much worse, this one was not much different from what Kyiv had seen already, many times.

The Details

Yet again, Russia said it would strike military targets, but civilians suffered. As they emerged from shelters after the attack, many were shocked to see their neighbourhoods completely transformed, for the worse. Windows smashed, cars turned into unrecognisable heaps of burnt, twisted metal.

'I could feel the missiles raining down on Kyiv'In Kyiv, at least six people died that night, and there was death and destruction elsewhere in Ukraine. In Dnipro, at least 16 people were killed as two residential buildings were hit. More than 90 people were injured across both cities, while Kharkiv in the north-east - which also saw its energy facilities and civilian infrastructure hit - reported 10 injured, including a child.

Other regions across the country were targeted. In Vynohradar, normally a sleepy suburb of Kyiv, we saw a scene of utter devastation. High-rise apartment blocks with windows smashed, shells of burnt-out cars on the pavements, dust and smoke in the air.

What Experts Say

Locals told us they had heard at least three massive explosions. Several of their neighbours were taken to hospital with severe injuries. Vynohradar resident Anna's car was one of those destroyed by the blastAnna lives in a nine-storey apartment block right next to the epicentre of one of the explosions.

Tearfully, she told me that one of the cars completely destroyed by the blast was hers. But it is not just her car or her house that she is worried about. "They'll fix the building, but not our souls," she said.

"The whole of the building, the whole of Ukraine is in grief. What have we done to deserve this? "The attack was followed by a massive effort to clean up the damage and help the survivors.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.