Voices from Ukraine: Life under intensified attacks
Imagine hearing air raid alerts day and night. Imagine seeking refuge in shelters, spending the night in crowded metro stations and facing yet another sleepless night filled with fear and uncertainty. For thousands of people in Kyiv and across Ukraine, this has become part of everyday life as attacks have intensified in recent months. The following testimonies from Malteser International staff and partner organizations offer insight into life under intensified attacks and the growing need for mental health and psychosocial support.
Fear becomes part of childhood
"We are seeing an increase in acute stress reactions: sleep problems, heightened anxiety, fatigue, and exhaustion. Among children, we see more crying, irritability, difficulties concentrating, increased agitation or, on the contrary, freezing. Frequent air raid alerts and night-time attacks do not allow the mind to fully relax. Even in moments of silence, people remain on alert, waiting for the next alarm or explosion. Children have become particularly sensitive to loud noises and are living with a constant sense of tension.
This also affects our work. It has become more difficult for clients and specialists to reach in-person sessions, while after nights of attacks, everyone needs more time to recover. What is particularly heartbreaking is how deeply this fear has entered children's everyday lives. Yesterday, while hurrying to a shelter during an air raid alert, eight-year-old Sofiia (name changed) said: "I don't want a Shahed drone to fall on my head because tomorrow is my birthday. I want to live to see it."
- Liudmyla Romanenko, Coordinator of the Mental Health Centre of Words Help NGO, Vorzel, Kyiv region
"I don't want a Shahed drone to fall on my head because tomorrow is my birthday. I want to live to see it."
– Sofiia (name changed), 8 years old, during an air raid alarm in Vorzel, Kyiv Oblast
The impact on mental health services
"The attacks are having a significant impact on our work. Clients are cancelling sessions or not showing up because of the constant air raid alerts. We have moved most consultations and group activities online, as even getting to the office across the city has become difficult.
At the same time, we are seeing a sharp increase in requests for support. People are seeking help with sleep problems, heightened anxiety, uncertainty about the future and the inability to plan their lives. We are also seeing more requests related to fresh losses of loved ones, homes, and businesses caused by the recent attacks.
There is also a growing number of parents seeking support because their children are afraid of air raid alerts, explosions and going to shelters, and this is already affecting their attendance at schools and kindergartens."
- Viktoriia Soloviovova, Coordinator of the Kyiv-Dnipro team of Malteser International's partner organization Words Help
Sleepless nights in the metro station
"The intensification of the attacks has changed my nights completely. I now sleep in the metro or another shelter almost every night, carrying a yoga mat, blanket and pillow with me. Even when the night is quiet, the routine itself disrupts sleep: leaving home late, going underground, finding a place on the floor, waking up repeatedly because of the noise, lights, and people around me, and then returning home again in the morning.
What stays with me most is the physical feeling of it: dust, dirt, lack of privacy, sometimes lying with my face only centimetres from the metro floor. During especially intense days, repeated sirens and explosions while I am outside the shelter can also have a strong physical effect on me, including nausea, a racing heart, chest tension, and difficulty breathing.
The hardest part is the repetition. It is not one exceptional night, but doing this almost every night. Even when there is no attack, I still lose normal sleep and spend another night underground. You adapt to the routine, but the exhaustion and constant sense of anticipation accumulate."
- Dariia Akhmedova, Safeguarding Manager at Malteser International in Kyiv, Ukraine
"The hardest part is the repetition. It is not one exceptional night, but doing this almost every night. Even when there is no attack, I still lose normal sleep and spend another night underground. You adapt to the routine, but the exhaustion and constant sense of anticipation accumulate."
– Dariia Akhmedova, Safeguarding Manager at Malteser International in Ukraine
Together with its partners, Malteser International continues to provide psychosocial support despite the challenges posed by ongoing attacks. Through counselling, safe spaces and community-based activities, people affected by the war receive support to cope with stress, fear and anxiety and to strengthen their resilience.
September, 2026
