First impressions of a peaceful Kyiv at war

I arrived in Kyiv after 10 pm Saturday night, after the 12-hour train ride from Chelm, Poland and the 3.5-hour train ride from Warsaw. It wasn’t an entirely auspicious arrival. The driver who was supposed to meet me showed up late and the train arrived early. Only a Polish acquaintance with whom I shared a cabin on the train saved the night. His Ukrainian girlfriend got in touch with the driver. She also drove us around to the other side of the train station, where he had left his car. I’d have been plenty worried otherwise.

The city

Arriving here is like arriving in no other conflict zone I’ve known. All the lights were on. The McDonalds are open. The traffic lights work, the traffic is intense, and the driving is at mostly moderate speeds. There are no burned out hulks lining the roads. I’ve seen only one Tesla, but late model European, Korean, and Japanese cars are the norm.

Ukraine is a big country. The front lines are hundreds of miles away. Yes, the Russians target Kyiv with missiles and drones, but Ukrainian air defense shoots many down. Kyiv’s population was once close to four million. The few that get through do real harm, even when they don’t hit their target. But the damage is still small compared to the size of the city.

Kyiv sits on hills and is strikingly varied in its architectural styles. A walker finds it visually stimulating. He also finds good espresso never more than 100 meters away. There are few empty storefronts. Lots of restaurants and cafes. The Cyrillic script is impenetrable to those of us who haven’t renewed our acquaintanceship recently. But lots of signs are also posted in English.

Uber and Bolt ride services work here, and there are many buses. But I haven’t used anything but the Metro. Its stations are really, really deep underground and serve also as bomb shelters. I assume the Soviets built them to double for that purpose. The escalators are faster than a Washingtonian is used to. I see Ukrainians dancing to get on too. Purchasing tickets online is easy and fast. Googlemaps works fine, even if my T-mobile service is on the slow side.

The people

Caveat emptor: I am staying in a posh area close to the center and speaking with people only in English. I am also spending time talking to students, professors, and administrators at the Kyiv School of Economics. So my sample selection is toward the relatively well-to-do and well-educated. I’ve talked with only one active-duty soldier. All the rest are civilians.

The overall atmosphere in the street is notably calm and respectful. I haven’t seen even two Ukrainians quarreling with each other. Everyone seems determined to go about their own business without troubling others. There is no pushing or shoving even in the crowded Metro. Drivers rarely honk. Pedestrians wait for the walk sign to turn green and don’t J-walk. Is this discipline a hangover from Soviet times, a new European habit, or a reaction to wartime? I can’t tell.

One Ukrainian has told me it is a reaction to wartime. No one wants to provoke the hidden nervous tension that can explode suddenly.

The downside is lack of big city boisterousness. No street theater or music, no people hawking silly toys or fake Gucci bags, no begging or grifting. Only an occasional woman selling flowers or plants. If there are homeless people, they are not in the center.

War and politics

The war memorials here are like the Vietnam memorial in DC. They focus on the names and personal histories of individual soldiers, not on the generals.

The only battle highlighted is the unsuccessful defense of the Avostal iron and steel plant in Mariupol.

Ukraine lost that one three years ago.

People are tired of the war, which the years have normalized. It barely disrupts Kyivans own lives, but everyone has family members or knows someone who has suffered. They want it to end, but not with a Ukrainian defeat or the prospect of a renewed Russian invasion. What this means isn’t clear, but people think they will know it when they see it. Determined to fight on in the meanwhile, they appreciate American assistance and express disappointment with President Trump’s realignment with Russia.

Kyivans are also unhappy with their own political leadership. They worry about corruption and politicians more concerned with their own careers than with the country’s fate. They bemoan the country’s lack of preparation for war in 2022. Most I’ve talked to don’t want President Zelensky re-elected. They want change, but no one has named a preference. Most Ukrainian presidents since independence have lasted only one term, or less. The one who served two was no paragon. Zelensky will have served six years of a four-year term May 20. That’s due to the constitution’s prohibition on holding elections under martial law.

First impressions

First impressions can be wrong. But overall Kyiv seems to me an attractive, friendly, and well-organized place. Street signs declare: “Kyiv is waiting for you after the victory.” It’s a strange message to those foreigners who are already here, but somehow appropriate as well.

Next up: I’ll hope to have something to say about Kyiv’s cultural, educational, and governing institutions.