Yahoo Finance Life Goes On in Kyiv, Where Residents Are Resuming Normal Activities amid Ongoing Russian Threat
Energy is returning to the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, says Alexander Nosachenko, a businessman-turned-civilian sniper. The city is under a liberal curfew, roadblocks remain in the street, office buildings stand empty, the windows at his house are boarded up as a precaution, and a recent missile hit a residential apartment building in the central part of the city, killing at least one person and wounding others.
At the same time, Nosachenko, managing director of real estate firm Colliers International in Ukraine, is taking time off from civilian sniper duties and getting back to work from his house — something he and other businessmen helping fund civilian defenses have been eager to do. "It may sound strange but I have business meetings in Kyiv now," he tells PEOPLE.
Life in the city is dichotomous. "Around one corner you have life, around the other corner you have death," he says. The latest bombardment was about 500 yards from his mother's house in the central part of the city. "Our country's at war. Russia is trying to kill us all."
And yet, resolve is strong. Residents who left the capital city are coming back, and those who have been hiding at home or in bunkers are leaving their houses as the bulk of fighting takes place in the country's south and east regions. "You have people enjoying life here," he says. "Ukrainians are not scared, they are not prepared to run away. There is no way we are leaving our city." Even on the day of the missile attack on the residential building, restaurants served diners al fresco and residents walked around the city center enjoying the warm weather.
Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Remnants of Russian vehicles line the streets of Kyiv, a reminder to all of Ukraine's strength
"It's just human nature that if you are afraid for a certain period of time, you want to hide, but later on, no matter what's happening, you just stop hiding," he says. "It's as simple as that. So yes they bombard shopping centers, they do kill civilians, but you get immune to whatever happens around you, so sooner or later you go out."
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His civilian defense group and the military have so far been successful at keeping Russian troops out of the capital city. Russians are hitting the city with missiles launched from far away. If that changes, camo backpacks and weapons are packed and ready in Nosachenko's living room and garage, but Russian troops seem to have given up on invading Kyiv.
"We fought back like crazy and killed so many Russian soldiers and set so many Russian tanks and armored vehicles on fire nearby Kyiv that Russian troops had to retreat," Nosachenko says. The destroyed vehicles sit beside the road near Kyiv, "serving as a good indication of what will happen with Russian tanks and armored vehicles in case they try to invade Kyiv again."
He believes the Russians are trying to scare residents with their missile attacks, but the killing of civilians may be due to simple inaccuracy. They may be hitting residences when the intended targets are industrial plants or warehouses nearby.
He was on vacation in the south of France with his wife and children when Russia invaded and he encouraged his family to stay put while he returned to Kyiv to fight. He had been paying for private sniper training and was part of a unit of several dozen others who sprang into action. He expects his family will come back to Ukraine in time for school to start in September, and he fully expects schools to be open. He urges other families to return as well. If they don't, he's afraid the economy will collapse.
"This is exactly what Russians are waiting for," he says. "No matter how bad it may sound, I think this is what we have to do. We have to feed our economy. Is there a risk of being hit by a Russian missile — there is no artillery here, artillery is far to the east or far to the south of Ukraine — yes, absolutely, there is a risk, but it's a very, very small risk. The higher risk is being killed in a car accident in Europe than being killed by a missile in Kyiv."
But while he says Kyiv residents are getting used to life under siege, they are not giving up the fight.
"There is no fatigue on the part of Ukrainians at all. We've been fighting for our freedom and for our lives and for our land. We are becoming angrier and angrier and angrier to what the Russian army does with us," Nosachenko says.
Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Kyiv
"Cities like Kharkiv, [close to] the border with Russia, was considered the city which would support Russia, but in the end, everything changed completely after the first three days of the invasion — Kharkiv was fighting like crazy. I've been through entire Ukraine, east, south and southeast, and I can tell you from what I saw, I have never seen Ukrainians so united in their attempt to defend their freedom."
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A few of the Special Forces and civilian snipers who trained with Nosachenko long before the current Russian invasion have been wounded by land mine explosions and tank attacks in Kharkiv and Kramatorsk. Nosachenko says they are asking to get back to the frontline as soon as possible.
"Ukrainians are extremely strong in terms of its resistance when it comes to defending their land and the lives of their people. It's been for centuries. Different nations were trying to capture us, it was always a disaster in the end for invaders."
He hasn't seen his family since the war began, and plans to visit them in France keep being postponed as he gets bogged down with logistics for his group and other groups, and travels to other parts of the country that have been invaded by Russian troops. "I simply cannot leave now, even for one single day," he says. He's hoping he can slip away in July.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
