Tamar Jacoby: How Ukrainians Are Learning to Live With the War Sirens

The joy across Ukraine was sparked by President Biden’s recent visit to Kyiv. Friends from Ukraine messaged me to express their gratitude. A bartender knew I was American and offered me a drink on my behalf. The president’s trip underscored what Biden has often said – that America will stand by Ukraine “as long as it takes.”

The fact that Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, walked through the square in front St. Michael’s Cathedral’s golden dome on Monday made this point even more clear for Ukrainians. Air raid sirens are a daily, if not weekly, scourge for Ukrainians. Everyone knows what it’s like trying to make a decision. Do I need to pay attention to this warning?

The first days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the air-raid shelters became full. Many of the Ukrainians who crossed the border into Poland in those early weeks spoke of seeking refuge – sometimes successfully, often not – in a basement or subway station. Indeed, for many, it was the lack of a suitable bomb shelter – their building had no basement, the metro too far away – that drove them to leave the country. 

However, by the time I arrived to Ukraine in April, many people had already ignored the air alerts. I sat one morning in a crowded university lounge, an elegant room with a long glass wall, as cellphones around me began wailing – by then, virtually everyone had downloaded the app warning of incoming missiles. Had a rocket landed nearby, we would have been injured – if not killed – by glass and shrapnel flying into the lounge. But no one moved. People were now tired of the sirens, or had devised their own way of deciding whether to find refuge – or not.

Even a year later, there is still no clear cut way to determine who seeks shelter or under what circumstances. Some people will go to the basement whenever a siren rings. Others do not. Another group takes each case into consideration. Before they can make a decision, their phones buzz and they look through a few chat channels to see what type of aircraft, missile, or drone is coming in. Businesses are supposed to close, and some – international chains, downtown boutiques – actually do. But most neighborhood places remain open – and often packed. 

There are many patterns that can be found in different places. Many people live underground for several weeks in cities close to the frontline. Even those who ignore sirens often make exceptions. I will never forget the October video in which Moscow bombarded Kyiv with drones. The corridor of his dorm was home to a carefree university student, who boasted that he never needed shelter. The only thing that could save him in that terrifying moment was the so-called “rule of two walls” – one wall between you and the outside stops the projectile, the second protects you from shell splinters – would keep him safe.

Still, idiosyncratic and even random as these decisions are, they’ve helped me understand how Ukrainians are truly managing a year into the war. Everyone knows someone who is fighting on the frontlines. There have been more than 100,000 military casualties, and 13 million people – roughly one-third of the population – have been displaced from their homes. Even those who are not on the frontlines, almost all Ukrainians have had to make some adjustments in their lives or work. This includes moving their families to another city, giving up their job as a volunteer, delaying a business launch, a wedding, or planning to study abroad. And people admit they are tired – some worn down by the constant stress, others just fed up with the disruptions. “I’m not scared by the air alerts,” One friend sent me a text a few months back. “just tired of the nuisance.” 

But that doesn’t mean people are giving up – on the contrary. According to polls, between 75-95 percent of Ukrainians support continuing the fight until their country is reclaimed. One active-duty soldier told me recently about two severely wounded comrades sent home for treatment – one had lost an eye – who were itching to return to the front. The war is not something that anyone seems to find worth complaining about or worrying over. “People are losing their lives and their homes,” Another acquaintance was explained. “I don’t have the right to feel frustrated or sad just because some little thing in my life isn’t going right.” 

As the anniversary of the invasion approaches, the mood has changed. There were rumors in Kyiv that Moscow planned a surprise attack. Intelligence agencies warned of this. The barista in my local café asked worriedly if I’d be staying through the anniversary, and people started querying each other when was the last time they went to a shelter. Biden appeared and ignored the siren.

“Do Ukrainians have a breaking point?” I conducted a series interviews that were geared towards the anniversary. “Of course, we do,” Answered by a woman who is middle-aged and has two grown children. “but we’re not there yet. We’ve survived all winter without heat or electricity, through weeks of nonstop air alerts and bombing. The only thing we can’t handle would be an end to American support. Without your help, we can’t win the war.” 

Jacoby is director at the Progressive Policy Institute’s New Ukraine Project and the author of “Displaced: The Ukrainian Refugee Experience.“

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