A diary of two nights in the Kyiv metro, where residents are once again sheltering as Russia intensifies its attacks

In the first half of 2026, Russia intensified its air strikes on Ukraine.

And since early summer, when Ukraine’s armed forces stepped up attacks even on Russian regions far from the border — as far as Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, and Omsk regions — the Russian military has been striking Ukrainian cities even harder.

Kyiv remains one of Russia’s main targets, so, just as in the early years of the full-scale war, city residents are once again taking shelter from attacks in the capital’s metro.

On the evening of July 24, Volodymyr Zelensky warned Ukrainian citizens that the Russian military could carry out another massive missile strike within the next 48 hours.

Ukrainian journalist Iryna Olehova spent two nights in the Kyiv subway.

Meduza is publishing her diary. ...