Lead suggestion: Residents of Kyiv have faced a sharp increase in Russian aerial attacks. Ukraine relies on American-made Patriot interceptors to defend against ballistic missiles, but supplies have run critically low. That has left people in the capital increasingly exposed, and often with little option but to seek shelter underground. DW’s Max Zander reports from one Kyiv neighborhood that has been living through the attacks.

Lower thirds:

0:03  Report by / Max Zander
0:18  Tetyana / Customer
0:50  Viktoria / Market Trader
1:17  Max Zander / DW Special Correspondent
2:02  Larisa 
2:09  Nastia
3:12  Larisa

Script:
 
Every morning - no matter how hard the night was - they will be here selling their products.   

Right outside the Lukianivska metro station. 

Russia has targeted this area like no other in Kyiv. Tetyana is here twice a week. 

+++Tetyana, customer+++  

"It's very scary to come here now. It's dangerous. They're bombing all the time. You've just gone out — air raid alert — it hit, it flew off. You don't know if you'll make it there alive, or if you won't make it at all.  

Most vendors, like Viktoriia come from out of town, Some travel during the night to get here early - sometimes as attacks are under way. 

0.35 

+++Viktoriia, Market Trader++  

“Yes, today we drove under some explosions, because we were driving right during an alert. We arrived and saw explosions along the way, where something was burning. We were driving right at the moment when everything was on fire. “ 

Nighttime is especially worrisome to people here.  

The lack of air defenses and increased Russian attacks with ballistic missiles have  

left them with few options than to hide. 

+++PTC Max Zander, DW Special Correspondent+++ (12:00) 

“The perceived threat is incredibly high here with Ukraine having effectively run out of interceptor missiles. And especially this neighborhood that has been attacked by Russian missile strikes again and again and again. 

 Many people here prefer to spend the entire night underground in the metro and not take their chances.”  

By the time the last train passes through the station, some have already settled in for the night – even without an air raid siren.  

Like Larisa and her daughter Nastia.  

 Nastia just participated in a dance competition, now they are getting ready for bed. 

 Since an attack damaged their home a month ago, they have spent many nights down here. 

+++SOT Larisa +++ (after 1:20) 

“Now it causes a great deal of fear and a racing heart.” 

+++SOT Nastia 

01:38 It's a huge amount of stress, because you might not sleep until five in the morning, waiting for some ballistic missiles.Maybe we won't hear the alert, and it'll just go bang, and then there'll be panic, stress, insomnia. 

Twelve-year-old Nastia was messaging her older sister when  their house was hit. 

+++ATMO+++ (scream) 

Windows were blown out, parts of the ceiling came down. 

Her mother's car caught fire and was destroyed - the only thing that survived was a suitcase with her dance costumes.  
With everything going on down here - they struggle to rest. Larisa worries about her child growing up in these conditions.  

+++SOT Larisa +++ 

“They're all mature beyond their years. They understand everything. Very small children, they understand — what's flying, whether it's a drone or ballistic missiles, whether some planes have taken off. It would be better if they didn't know this.”  

At 5:30 (am), the trains will start running again, and life returns to something slightly more normal.