KYIV — Laden with bags, trolleys and the odd pet, Ukrainians are returning to the capital Kyiv, some tearful, others nervous about going home after Russian troops withdrew from the outskirts of their city.
A week after Russian forces pulled out of villages to the north of Kyiv, leaving behind razed buildings and corpses in some of the streets, officials have warned people not to return to the capital quite yet, fearful of a renewed offensive.
Yet for several of those returning on Thursday (April 7) at the busy main train station in central Kyiv, the desire to see elderly parents or to continue their jobs outweighed any lingering safety concerns.
Some workers returned without their families, leaving wives and children in the relative safety of western Ukraine, others were making a quick dash to pick up more of their belongings and cars before heading out again. A few said they had returned to stay, at least for now.
“I want to see my parents, they’re elderly,” said Olena Oleshyntseva, who arrived at Kyiv’s train station after staying in neighbouring Moldova for safety. She started to cry as she whispered: “I am their daughter.”
For 24-year-old Ksiusha Lysyk, who works as a manicurist, the feeling was the same. She just wanted to see her parents.
“I missed Kyiv, I missed home,” she said.
On a sunny Thursday, there were more signs of something more akin to normal life returning to Kyiv. Joggers headed out for their morning runs, women walked together with their dogs and the church bells summoned believers to a morning service.
Some played chess in the park as an air raid siren sounded.<img alt="" data-caption="Two men play chess in a park, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 7, 2022.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”6b522c7e-7247-431d-882a-3c50ac56be70″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20220407_chess_reuters.jpg”/>Six weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine getting to within 20km of Kyiv, many of the shops along the capital’s main Khreshchatyk thoroughfare remained closed.
Army checkpoints and roadblocks still punctuate roads in the city, reminding residents that a return to normal life may still be a way off.
‘Why be scared of the dead’
Around half the population of Kyiv, a city of about 3 million before the war, have fled, the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said earlier this month, warning people to give it a little time before returning.
But even beyond Kyiv, in its surrounding towns and villages, the desire to return home is strong.
In Bucha, where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing some civilians, Oleksandr Pulnev, 38, picks through what remains of his apartment for the first time since March 9.
A television, a wifi router and his laptop have gone, he said. Picking up his wife’s pink sneakers from a pile of clothes strewn across the floor of his flat, Pulnev said it would take time to put everything back together.<img alt="" data-caption="A woman sits on a bench in a park, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 7, 2022.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”2eb33d2e-207c-4bc2-a1e6-df408a25a396″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20220407_womaninpark_reuters.jpg”/>”It’s just unbelievable,” he said, pointing to the way his apartment door was ripped off its hinges.
Russia says it launched a “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion was illegal and unjustified.
Moscow denies targeting civilians in Ukraine and has said the deaths in Bucha, in the Kyiv region, were a “monstrous forgery” staged by the West to discredit it.
Back in the capital, at Zhytniy market, one of Kyiv’s oldest, in a crumbling Soviet building where the floors are uneven and the counters are cracked, the rows of stalls, selling fruit, meat, cheese and even socks are slowly filling up again.
Ihor Ostapenko, who runs a stall selling fruit, vegetables and herbs collected from around the Kyiv region, was defiant about the possible threat of a renewed invasion and dismissive of the warnings from city officials as he returned to work.
“There are fewer people these days,” he said, as he laid out handfuls of herbs. “Why should we be scared? Russia has gone. Why should we be scared of dead bodies?”
Cafes and restaurants are reopening, with one restaurant, ZigZag, in Kyiv’s hipster district, once again setting up tables and chairs on the pavement outside.<img alt="" data-caption="People make their way outside the Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi railway station, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 7, 2022.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”48dcec71-bdbc-4cef-8d91-36dd09d45c0f” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20220407_kyiv_reuters.jpg”/>
Kyiv’s Coffee Corner: From Ghost Town to Crowd Magnet
When the war blew through Kyiv on February 24, the city’s neighborhoods turned into silent stages. A few weeks later, the streets are humming again—though some folks still linger in that uneasy chill.
From Empty Streets to Daily Starbucks Rush
“There are many more people now. Many people have returned to Kyiv.” Kostia Yastreb, the café’s manager, says, looking at his bustling tables.
He remembers the city as a desert—“About two weeks ago the city was completely empty, devoid of people.” The slow drip of coffee is punctuated by the chatter of hundreds.
- One week ago: 20 customers per day.
- Now: 60 customers per day.
- Expecting the tally to keep climbing.
It’s like the espresso machine has finally found its rhythm again.
The Lingering Fog of “Now
For those who stayed behind, the city’s renaissance feels like a careful dance—waving a flag while still bracing for the next surprise.
Meet Mikhailo: Graphic Designer & Food‑for‑People Volunteer
Mikhailo, a talented graphic designer, and his wife packed up their heat‑mapped dreams on the day of the invasion.
“I don’t regret that we didn’t leave,” he confides, standing outside the back‑street café.
There, he helps the elderly—feeling the void when shops shuttered due to the conflict—and offers shelter to those who fled Eastern Ukraine, using the building’s massive basement.
His coffee‑shop walls gather the stories of strangers who found comfort in the same mug.
“I only unpacked this morning,” he jokes, looking at the last box of his personal belongings still scattered across the kitchen floor.
Why Sticking Around Matters
There’s a bittersweet truth: sometimes staying is the bravest act. It’s not just about coffee; it’s about keeping the heartbeats alive, the neighborhood alive.
1: “a desert” illustrates Kyiv’s barren calm at the war’s start, reminiscent of how quiet streets could feel like a no‑frills coffee shop waiting for its first order.
