Kyiv Residents Seek Shelter Abroad and in Rural Areas as Winter Looms

As Russia’s assaults on Ukrainian cities escalate and temperatures drop, Kyiv residents are increasingly looking for ways to shield themselves from both aerial bombardment and the coming cold. The convergence of security threats and deteriorating infrastructure has prompted some families to relocate abroad or retreat to the countryside ahead of winter.

Mariia Shostak, a mother of two young children, is packing to leave her flat in Kyiv. Citing the unbearable conditions of the previous winter, marked by prolonged sub-zero temperatures and frequent power cuts, she decided she would not endure another such season in the capital. Her departure was accelerated by late summer attacks that struck closer to residential centers.

“Earlier, the drones and missiles were intercepted somewhere on the outskirts. Now it was happening in the centre, right above our heads,” Shostak said. She plans to spend the winter in Hurghada, Egypt, choosing the destination for its affordability and warmth compared to European alternatives.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has described the city’s situation as “very dramatic,” noting that recent strikes on petrol stations, power plants, and key bridges over the Dnipro river are “tearing Kyiv apart.” By late September, attacks had become nearly constant, shifting from the periphery to the city center.

Survey data suggests Shostak is not alone in her anxiety. A September poll by the Gradus research company found that 40% of Ukrainians are considering relocating if living conditions worsen, while 35% intend to stay and 25% remain undecided. Evgeniya Blyznyuk, Gradus CEO, noted that residents are worried about a combination of stressors, including energy shortages and potential food supply disruptions due to attacks on logistics centers.

For families with young children, the health impacts are immediate. Iryna, whose surname was withheld for safety reasons, reported that her three-year-old daughter Polina suffers from severe anxiety following missile strikes earlier this year. The blasts damaged their apartment building on Kyiv’s north-western edge, forcing the family into temporary accommodation. Polina has experienced vomiting, incontinence, and uncontrollable shaking, symptoms that Iryna attributes to the ongoing shelling.

“There are new symptoms after each shelling,” Iryna said. With her husband serving in the army, she is considering moving to Poland, where she might continue her remote work for an international NGO.

Others are opting for domestic relocation. Olena Konoplia moved to a cottage in a rural community two hours outside Kyiv, deliberately avoiding areas near factories, warehouses, or railway stations that could serve as military targets. Equipped with gas heaters, firewood, and high-speed internet, she finds the quiet essential for her well-being.

“After several nights here, when I can sleep, just sleep, without any explosions, without any sirens, I feel better,” Konoplia said.

While the city has invested in a network of approximately 15 small-scale power plants protected by steel cages to bolster the grid, energy companies have warned of scheduled outages and supermarkets have faced periodic shortages. Authorities are offering places in converted sanatoriums on the forested outskirts for vulnerable groups, including the elderly and women with young children.

Despite the growing pressure to leave, analysts do not anticipate a mass exodus. Blyznyuk observed that most people remain reluctant to jeopardize their employment or their children’s education, preferring to stay until conditions become unlivable.