Key facts
- Mothers in Kyiv face the dilemma of staying or leaving due to intensified Russian attacks.
- Relocation to safer cities like Lviv and Lutsk has become a necessity for some families.
- Children are experiencing psychological effects from constant air raid alerts and time spent in shelters.
- Concerns are rising about potential attacks on critical infrastructure as winter approaches.
- Nina Shkurba, a writer, has chosen to remain in Kyiv with her children.
Mothers in Kyiv are facing difficult decisions about their children's safety as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks. Many who returned to Ukraine after initially fleeing in 2022 are now considering relocation again, with some moving to western Ukrainian cities like Lviv and Lutsk. Anna Lodyhina, a journalist, moved her son to Lviv after enduring frequent metro shelter stays in Kyiv. Anna Ablitsova relocated her family to Lutsk after her son's kindergarten spent most of its day in shelters. However, even western Ukraine is not entirely safe, as evidenced by a drone attack in Lutsk on October 14. Some mothers, like writer Nina Shkurba, are choosing to remain in Kyiv, prioritizing family unity and finding solace in their dacha outside the city.