Residents flee Kyiv as Russia attacks Ukraine

Residents flee Kyiv as Russia attacks Ukraine
Residents of Kyiv flee the capital after Russia launched attacks on Ukraine on the morning of February 24 / wiki
By Cameron Jones in Kyiv, Ben Aris in Berlin February 24, 2022

Roads out of Kyiv have snarled up with three-abreast traffic jams as residents pack their cars and flee the capital after attacks on Ukraine started at 5 am on the morning of February 24.  

“At 5 am this morning I was woken up by the sound of explosions,” bne IntelliNews’ Ukraine’s correspondent Cameron Jones said by phone from Kyiv. “I thought it was a car backfiring and went back to sleep. It wasn't until after I got up it started to become clear what was going on. Everyone is ringing everyone.”  

There are unconfirmed reports of strikes against all of Ukraine’s airports, but the airspace over the country has already been closed down.  

A state of emergency came into effect at midnight and the Ukrainian government has also declared martial law this morning.  

Following reported drone attacks in the night there are no more reports of any follow-up airstrikes as of the morning of February 24 and the situation remains calm in most of the country, although residents are watching the news closely before making plans.  

Rumours are circulating that US and Turkish fighter jets have arrived in Kyiv, but these reports have not been confirmed and it remains unlikely; the arrival of Nato member forces would be a major escalation if true and threaten the conflict escalating into a world war.  

However, many residents of Kyiv have decided to leave. In the upper class Lypky district in the capital “the entire road is full of people loading up their cars and leaving,” reports Jones. Other sources say similar scenes are to be seen in other residential districts of Kyiv as residents flee, fearing a possible attack on the capital.  

Ilya Bubley from Donetsk, who moved to Kyiv in 2014, says he was already well prepared. His father and family members have gathered at his house this morning to discuss what to do next, but they remain calm.  

“This is the second time I’ve done this. I left Donetsk in 2014 when the fighting broke out. But now we are deciding what to do next – whether to leave Kyiv or not,” Bubley told bne IntelliNews. “We are now waiting to see how things develop.”  

Locals told bne IntelliNews that some Ukrainians are hoping to cross the border to neighbouring Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Leaving by plane is not possible after flights were cancelled following reported drone strikes on all of the airports in the country.  

“There have been attacks in every city in Ukraine. The point is to make the whole of Ukraine scared so it doesn’t matter where you go. For now I’m going to stay put in Kyiv while we figure out the situation,” another Kyiv resident told bne IntelliNews.  

Shops were still open and the public transport is still working, and has been made free to use. Kyiv’s metro is operating as normal. However, other facilities like the museums are closed and many people have decided to stay at home to listen to the news as the story develops.  

Long queues have formed outside banks’ ATMs but banks have imposed a UAH1,000 ($33) fee on withdrawals. Currency exchange offices have also set a $100 limit on transactions as locals rush to change their hryvnia into dollars, as the currency is expected to drop as a result of the fighting.  

There are also long lines at petrol stations as locals rush to fill their cars in anticipation of shortages.

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