Author Christos Chomenidis describes life in war-torn Kyiv

Award-winning author Christos Chomenidis recently traveled to Ukraine, experiencing firsthand the daily life in a war-torn Kyiv. His visit coincided with a book fair held within the conflict zone, an event he attended to promote his European prize-winning novel, "Victory."

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The real victory for Ukraine is that people are not just concerned with the war and have not fallen into a single-issue state. On the contrary, the victory of the Ukrainians is that they work, have children, raise children, go to the opera, to the theater, to restaurants, to bars and of course to book fairs.

Chomenidis observed that despite the ongoing war, now in its fifth year, Ukrainians have adapted to a new sense of normalcy. He explained that the true victory for Ukraine lies not in succumbing to the war's all-consuming nature, but in continuing to live, work, have children, and engage in cultural activities like attending the opera, theater, restaurants, and book fairs.

Describing the air raid alert system, Chomenidis detailed how an installed app, similar to Europe's 112, displays the country's regions. Gray indicates no danger, while red signifies an impending threat from drones, ballistic missiles, or enemy aircraft. He recounted his own "baptism by fire" on his first morning when an alarm sounded at 6 a.m., prompting him to descend to the hotel's third-level basement shelter, equipped with workspaces, internet, and even a coffee maker.

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When the map turns red, it means there is a threat of attack, which could be drones, ballistic missiles, or a fighter jet from Russia heading towards Ukraine, triggering an alarm.

In subsequent days, the need to seek shelter diminished as individuals like the Greek ambassador to Kyiv, Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos, monitored military updates to assess the risk levels. Chomenidis also met Manolis Androulakis, who had endured three weeks of captivity in Mariupol.

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It was a nice shelter that had offices to continue your work, chairs, armchairs, beds, a coffee maker, and internet, which hasn't been cut off anywhere.