Ukraine Diary
Air Sirens and Bomb Shelters
Stairs and sleepless nights
Editor’s Note: In February, Working Nurse launched The Zhytomyr Hospital Challenge to purchase medical equipment for a hospital in Ukraine. This fundraising campaign was a huge success. In June, Olena Svetlov and I traveled to Ukraine to complete our mission.
I share excerpts from my journal in this Ukraine Diary online series.
The sirens went off three times last night. Falling back to sleep afterwards is difficult, and if I do, it’s a light, uneasy sleep, anticipating the next warning.
Air raid sirens sound different from the high-pitched ringing of a fire alarm. They start with a low-toned, machine-like revving noise that gradually rises in pitch. Then, a voice warns of danger and instructs people to move to a shelter.
These air raid alerts are broadcast from loudspeakers throughout the city and through the intercom systems of public buildings, like our hotel.
Most people now also have an alert app on their phones, featuring customized alerts from different regions and a map showing which areas of Ukraine are under attack.
The app says: “Attention: Air raid alert! Proceed to the nearest shelter! Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”
Then, after an interval, the app declares, “Attention: The air alert is over. May the Force be with you.” (In the face of danger, Ukrainians retain their sense of humor.)
In my limited experience, “bomb shelter” usually means a basement. However, the shelter in our hotel in Kyiv, built in 1961 during the height of the Cold War, was designed to protect the local politbureau from a nuclear attack.
I descended down four flights of stairs to rooms with chairs set against walls and in rows as if for a college lecture. Nearby is a warren of rooms, including sleeping quarters with dormitory-style bunk beds. It’s cold and windy down there, and terrifying.
Other Ukraine Diary entries:
Visiting Zhytomyr Hospital
Planes, Trains, and Eight Stuffed Suitcases
Resistance at the Kyiv Museum of History
First Aid Kits for Police Officers
Bucha
The Ballet Studio
Animal Rescue
The story from the Feb. 21 issue that launched The Zhytomyr Hospital Challenge.
