During almost four years of russia’s savage invasion into Ukraine, my mother-in-law has been sheltering in her corridor in her Kyiv apartment during russian strikes on the nation’s political capitol.
She goes there when the strikes are near because it is the only location in the house with no windows, providing a little more safety from blown out glass, shrapnel, and other debris which may projectile into the building.
I always wondered what her corridor looks like..
And now since I’ve been here we’ve endured strikes together, so now I know.
To be honest, the corridor is more peaceful than I imagined…
It really does feel like a safehaven…
So I wanted to share it with others, so I snapped this shot of what it looks like.
I was invited to this secret place the other night when we were getting bombarded….
It was pitch black, and she pulled up an extra chair for me.
I sat there next to her during the loud sound of bombs…
And I started nodding off.
And she asked me in Ukrainian,
хочеш відпочити?
“Так”, i responded. (I’m getting really good at Ukrainian)
So I went back to bed, prayed the air raid would be over….
Thanked God I have most of my affairs squared away….
And fell asleep dreaming of my son.
My Father-in-law just sleeps right through them. I always thought it’s because maybe he’s former military. But I’ve learned that people are just used to it here…
Everybody in their own way.
Some shelter, some sleep through it, some stay up and watch from their windows in anticipation.
Since I have been here, however, I noticed that Mama only goes to the corridor when the strikes are really bad. We’ve had them every couple of days. You can tell when it’s closer because the sirens get really loud and the sirens as well.
You hear the loud ringing sound, sometimes a voice talking to you, and then other times it has this bell-ringing sound added to it.
A woman who works at the brand new cafe down the block went to the shelter with her family one night this week. I told her I hope she gets some rest.
She asked me if I was scared to come here.
It’s a question I get a lot from Ukrainians. And, I am just as confused at them asking me as they are at me being here. It’s interesting, because as I travel through Ukraine, a lot of people ask me that. In Lviv several people who fled the Eastern region asked me if I was scared. And, now some people even in Kyiv.
“Are you scared?” I usually respond.
Yes I’m scared. We’re all scared. It’s scary…
Maybe not as scary for a military-trained personnel, but they are supposed to be conditioned that way in order to undertake operations to protect the civilian population.
But civilians should not have to get used to this.
Yet they do. And their kids do. It is apart of the tragedy, as I learned from a young age growing up during GWOT and attacks on my own country, that no child should ever have to live with this.
And I wonder if this is all part of a dark psychological plot by the enemy….
Especially when we mostly expect them to strike at night during our subconsciousness.
Do they want us to adapt to this? Or do they want us to cave in?
Or do they not even care what we think and are just trying to keep up their pace of indiscriminate killing?
I remember distinctly when a Ukrainian American woman from Naples, Florida told me back in 2022, “When war becomes normal, that’s a real problem.”
But in Ukraine, it has become apart of every day life.
Even in Kyiv, around 10 PM you see everybody rush to the metro, and the streets are empty by midnight, when most strikes happen.
But I believe it is alright to seek normalcy. You have to live your best life and try to be successful in other areas… even if you are a war volunteer, you have to have a life outside of war.
Because why would you want your entire life to be consumed by a war manufactured by an enemy?
Since I live most of the time in the US, I am not used to this. I ask myself the mental toll it takes to be woken up every night.
Personally, I am a little sleepy.
And sometimes, the war completely slips my mind.
A Ukrainian woman recently told me that forgetfulness is apart of the trauma of war.
I wonder if the cognitive overload from adapting to being in war-time Kyiv has caused me to completely block out the war when there are no strikes.
Even though I tend to think about war and politics a lot, it is only because for me, I have this compulsive desire to stop it.
But in fact I despise politics. Just look at the world today…. Why would I like politics?
We talk about war but why would we like war….
Mama and I talk politics, however… and war.
Due to the recent strikes here in Kyiv, we feel that Trump has loosened putin’s belt…. “розпоясавса“…. unbuttoned everything to unleash on Ukrainians….
But we were relieved to hear this morning that Trump then promised to send more aid after the DOD needlessly halting weapons in Poland from being delivered to Ukraine…
This morning I told her what Serhii Strnenko, a major military fundraiser in Ukraine wrote… “Today he is Trumpenko, our Cossack”
We had a good laugh. Inspite of all of this needless tragedy they must endure, Ukrainians have a really good sense of humor.
Mama showed me all of the apps to follow, and groups to follow. She knows about the strike locations, all the way down to the type of weapons which are being used in the strikes – in real time.
A retired schoolteacher who spent her career nurturing youthful minds of her nation, I can see why it is so important to her to follow so closely what is happening to her people.
She even taught me how to pull the blanket over my body, in case the glass from my window blows out, so I don’t get cut up all over my body.
Since being here, I find information about war and weapons to be incredibly useful…and learning about it… somehow, comforting….knowing what we’re up against and all…
In fact, it really puts into perspective that I’ve been hearing at night….
No corridor for me though………………I want to watch my enemies fail. I want to see the defenders at work………
I want to understand exactly what is going on around me….and why……..
And why wouldn’t I?
the russian state is not just Ukraine’s enemy. As an American, it’s my enemy too…
An American soldier who fought for Ukraine once told me, the key to being a good soldier is discipline.
I don’t really know why he was trying to teach me how to be a good soldier…
But I think it had something to do with not letting enemies win…
That’s why it’s important to know about weapons.
We need to know what our enemies are trying to kill our people with.
Isn’t that like, basic survival?
I’ve done a lot of volunteering during this war, from refugee work, to teaching.
But to me, weapons are the most important thing, because, weapons are what’s going to actually end the war.
Just think, if Ukraine focused on building it’s weapons arsenal decades ago, this war could have been prevented.
But Ukraine didn’t work on it’s arsenal, because the country had suffered from pro-russian infiltrators since the fall of the Soviet Union, who sought only to weaken it’s military.
It was only in 2015 when the US openly began helping Ukraine’s military.
And now, Ukraine is working a lot on its weapons, to be independent from any other state.
There was a really great statement that reflects this sentiment released by Maksym Zhorin of the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade:
Weapons production is really good for Ukraine, and can help our defense alliance as well.
Likewise, the destruction of russia’s weapons arsenal will also be very beneficial, as russia is using their weapons to indiscriminately kill civilians…
And as far as America goes….
Due to the fact that we are a global military power and international security is relative on our own weapons systems and the alliances and adversaries around us, my country’s weapons arsenal directly links us to this war.
And I know we can do more to stop it.
It’s important to understand how government works, because oftentimes politicians who are willing to work against the will of their people depend on a contingent of the population who blindly believe everything they say….
That is why we must “trust, but verify”.
Trump stated he will send defensive waepons ( I assume by defensive he means patriots, but really, any and all weapons sent to Ukraine are defense, even the long range artillery that strikes at russia, as, eliminating russian military stockpiles is a defensive action……)
I demand the executive office to issue the order to release the weapons to Ukraine….
And not sure if he got my message or not, but maybe just maybe they will listen…
I feel I have a responsibility to people which drives me to hold my leaders accountable.
Because I care about my guys on the front, like Commander Yuri Makhnovets and his guys with Presidential Brigade in Luhansk, Ukraine…
And I don’t want our Ukrainian soldiers to run out of ammo by the end of this summer like they’re saying they will if allies don’t step it up with more military aid.
I don’t want Mama to have to go to here corridor in the middle of the night anymore.
I want my children to visit their grandparents without hearing sirens in the air or coming under fire.
I want to stop this war the only real way it’s going to stop – with force.
If we don’t want to pass this on to the next generation, we need to treat this with a sense of urgency….
Not with just mere thoughts and prayers or deep concerns…
But real actions…
Whatever little part you do to fight……..
Even if its hidden from public view….
And behind closed doors…..
Or in your corridor….
Holding onto your home…
Standing your ground….
And resisting, until there’s nothing to resist no more……………..
-Alexandra Zakhvatayev
Kyiv Free Press 
Leave a comment