Stay or flee? Kyiv mothers torn on how to keep children safe as Russian attacks step up

The Kyiv Independent · 21.10.2026, 17:46:08

Anna Lodyhina, a mother of a 5-year-old, spent many nights on the cold floor of Kyiv's metro, driven there — like many others — by relentless Russian attacks. As her child slept, she watched over him, exhausted by the constant threat and lack of sleep. This is just a glimpse of what Ukrainian mothers have been facing daily as Russia intensified its drone and missile campaign against Kyiv over the summer and early autumn. Mothers are now confronted with the same question they faced almost five