Amid the battles in the streets of Kiev against Russian forces that invaded Ukraine, Yulia Snitko spent the night in the basement of her building, praying for the baby in her belly.
The woman, who is eight months pregnant, was terrified by explosions and volleys of gunfire from a nearby military installation, fearing that the violence would prompt her to give birth prematurely.
“I’m trying to be as calm as possible so I don’t have a premature birth,” the woman told AFP on Saturday at a shelter dating back to the Soviet era.
The pregnant woman said that for more than an hour there were large explosions.
Beside her, a group of families settled on cardboard beds and camping gear.
Above the shelter, in the streets, the sun was shining and only a handful of civilians dared to stand in line to receive emergency food.
In just a few days, Kiev has turned into a war zone. In this city of three million, tanks roam the streets, preparing for an all-out attack from Russian forces trying to take over the city.
On Avenida Vitória, the charred wreckage of a Ukrainian military truck was still on fire and soldiers were trying to clear the rubble.
Several military personnel have claimed that Russian forces – which are just a few kilometers away – are indiscriminately firing rockets with their feared Grad system. The sound of explosions echoed far away.
City officials blame “Russian sabotage groups” for the overnight attacks on Kiev and say Moscow troops are still struggling to enter.
But the missiles hit several points in the capital. A rocket tore a huge hole in several floors of a residential building near downtown, scattering debris onto the surrounding streets.
Irina Butiak, a 38-year-old teacher, spent two days in the basement of her building taking refuge with 20 other people.
“We have train tickets to go to western Ukraine tomorrow. But I don’t think we can take that train,” she told AFP.
Buses no longer run and the Kiev metro has become a gigantic bomb shelter.
“We’re going to sit here until we can go to the train station,” the woman said.
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