Valentina Katkova, 77, does not know what makes her most want to cry: whether the health problems typical of her old age or the fact of living 'buried' in the Kiev metro to escape the Russian bombs.
Like her, 200 other people have found refuge at the Syrets metro station, northwest of the Ukrainian capital.
Most sleep on blankets or on mattresses placed on the floor, on the platform or in the corridors of the station. But Katkova, dressed in a lilac coat and a hand-knitted hat, and other people her age enjoy the poor comfort that subway cars give.
The woman sleeps in three blue leather seats on which she has spread a blanket. He can't lie down completely, due to lack of space. Next to it is a water bottle and a plastic cup.
Her eyes are red with tears and the cry cuts her voice. He sleeps there since February 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to start his offensive.
His daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren spend the night on the station platform.
“The old ones are here. And the young people on the ground,” he regrets.
The Kiev metro, which has some very deep stations, serves as a makeshift refuge for thousands of inhabitants.
The trains run on one track and the rest, immobile, serve to allow dozens of people to sleep inside.
This station, located about 60 meters deep, wants to give a sense of false normality and a television has even been installed.
Nina Piddubna, 71, sleeps in the neighboring car and explains that the last three weeks have not been easy.
At first, “I felt very bad, I had a fever,” says this woman with clear eyes and deep dark circles. The woman even fainted and the metro employees took care of her.
Olena Gusseva, 73, admits that there is great solidarity among the people who take refuge in this station. “It's true that there is humidity and we can get sick, but it doesn't matter because the most important thing is to stay alive,” he says.
dg/dk/bur/bl/eg