In early October, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Kyiv – and Putin continued to send drones. Russia is terrorizing the capital of Ukraine and remains undeterred by the visits of high-ranking state guests. The destruction is visible everywhere, including in the Lukjaniwska district. Amid the rubble, people are trying to maintain some semblance of daily life. For example, at the local McDonald’s. At the same time, people are working intensely on new defensive drones.

Kyiv, Lukjaniwska Station, Green Metro Line: The blue train doors open with a slight hiss. Passengers arrive and depart deep underground. Feet hurry across the dark floor tiles. Past life-size posters promoting an army brigade and a good dozen men and women in McDonald’s uniforms. Burgers and fries must wait. Half an hour earlier, the sirens wailed once again. Smartphone apps show the alert has not yet been lifted. As long as there is no all-clear, the team from the fast-food restaurant heads into the depths of the subway station. Even during Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit, the sirens howled. Often, high-profile visits in the past few years of war brought Kyiv at least a day or two of calm. Not this time.

An Unreal Picture

The escalator lurches upward. The swinging entrance doors open. Outside, the mild autumn sun shines. At first glance, it’s a picture of destruction. The Lukjaniwska district has become a magnet for aerial attacks in the Ukrainian capital. Shopping centers, an industrial building, shops, market halls – all completely burnt out. Soot-covered walls, collapsed masonry, empty window holes. The McDonald’s restaurant has already been damaged eight times. When business is running, guests sit on the terrace in the mild autumn sun, enjoying a shake while staring directly at a massive ruin looming darkly before them. It is an unreal picture.

A ZRK staff member prepares the ZIRKA interceptor drone for deployment against the latest generation of Russian attack drones

Around the metro station, Ukrainians show their resistance in their own way. With stoic persistence, they defy the war. Since August, people have counted the hours without alarms on one hand. Thousands of drones and ballistic missiles have targeted Kyiv and other parts of the country during this time.

The capital has been hit particularly hard. Despite the destruction and attacks, elderly women continue to sell flowers near the entrance to the metro station in front of soot-stained walls. The vegetable vendor loudly announces his special offers. Behind him, the twisted steel of burnt-out stalls stretches skyward.