In Kyiv, cautious residents have a sense of normalcy

It has been missing from the Ukrainian capital for months. Then, on a calm spring afternoon, the chirping voices of the children resounded throughout the playground.

In a park next to the blue church of Saint Michael’s Golden Domed Monastery, in central Kyiv, a few young children climb over a jungle gym and swing on a seesaw.

Mothers stood still, talking. The scene captured Kyiv’s mood these days, as tensions slowly spread out of a city that for weeks had been in a state of near-unimaginable electrical alarm.

In the early days of the war, families fled. Fireworks resounded through the streets. Countless sandbag checkpoints were erected. And looming over the city was the prospect of street fighting or an orchestrated siege.

Now, a month after the Ukrainian Army defeated Russian forces that had besieged part of Kyiv, the city is enjoying a return to normal.

For much of April, more residents returned to the capital than they left, although the mayor has advised that most families refrain from returning while threats from the war mount. happening still.

The pre-war population of the Kyiv metropolitan area was about four million; it was halved in a few busy days in February. Although some families have returned, many with children remain in western Ukraine or take refuge in Europe, facing an uncertain future.

Back in March, Honey Café, a cozy bakery and coffee shop on Yaroslaviv Val Road that, for unknown reasons quickly reopened for business, appeared to be the only location in town for sit and drink coffee. Even so, the waiters warned, “Don’t sit near the window,” lest shards of glass explode.

Today, sidewalk cafes spring up all over Kyiv. Some restaurants were packed, as usual, if not welcoming, the state of affairs. At Tin Tin Food Spot, a restaurant next to the city’s bike track, a lunchtime crowd filled every seat on Sunday afternoon.

The mood of the residents is one of profound gratitude: that the city still stands, that life can return. It created a general sense of bonhomie.

On a recent hour-long hike, which meanders through the cobblestone streets of the Golden Gate and Podil neighborhoods, passersby smile or nod in satisfaction.

The chestnut trees have flowered. And over time, at the top of the hills, the still-intact skyline of the city with golden churches and tall buildings came into view.

To be sure, war is still raging in eastern Ukraine. Cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv are shelled daily. And few in Kyiv would reduce another attempt to enter the capital, if the Russian Army mustered strength. Tens of thousands of Kyiv’s residents whose relatives are fighting in the east are in grave danger.

Fierce street fighting and widespread human rights abuses by the Russian Army in Kyiv’s suburban towns, including Irpin and Bucha, have caused people to die, aid officials and workers say People are traumatized and are likely to face emotional adjustment before feeling safe again.

And countless families have been displaced because they have been forced to leave their homes, either as internal migrants or as refugees to other countries in Europe.

Russian cruise missiles, fired from hundreds of miles away, still occasionally target the capital, hitting military sites and residential buildings. But they are isolation strikes, as presently pose little risk to the general population.

And so, after weeks of upheaval and tension, Kyiv has become a city where, at least, just an ordinary spring day can once again be enjoyed as a small blessing.