A portrait of Helen, Moment's correspondent in Kyiv

Kyiv Diary 3/20/22: ‘Heartbroken Adults Are Forced To Leave the Elderly Behind’

Moment is publishing regular updates from Helen, a Soviet American Jew living in Kyiv. Read all the diary entries here. These last nights were quiet. But nevertheless, we stayed awake savoring the silence, the quietness of the night without the never-ceasing sounds of sirens and shelling. Yesterday I met with Viktoria, a Croatian designer with whom I have been working for many years. Over that time we have built a very strong friendship. She arrived in Kyiv on business right before the war. When the war broke out, she had a chance to go back home to Croatia but decided to stay and volunteer. She checked out of the hotel and moved in with an elderly man to take care of him. He is almost 90 years old, a Jewish widower with many health problems. She is sleeping on an...

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Kyiv Diary 3/16/22: ‘This Night Four Buildings Were Bombed’

  Moment is publishing regular updates from Helen, a Soviet American Jew living in Kyiv. Read all the diary entries here.   Four buildings were bombed and destroyed in Kyiv yesterday. Three of them are within 15 minutes’ walk of our place. As a result of these bombings and the apprehension about new ones, the new curfew was announced–it will last until Thursday. It means that the streets are empty and all the stores and pharmacies are closed. There are emergency phone numbers, which are circulating via phone service providers and other channels. However, there are many fake numbers.  Yesterday I made five phone calls trying to assist the elderly couple in our building to get medications, but two numbers were out of order and the lines of others were constantly busy. This night four buildings were bombed in Kyiv....

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