One night in central Kyiv turned into a fight for survival for the residents of a 17-story building near Zvirynetska Metro Station. Among them were Volodymyr, 79, his wife, and Lighti Biryukova, 35, and her family, all facing the sudden chaos of a Shahed drone strike.
That same Friday, Oct. 10, a wave of Russian missile and drone strikes hit Ukraine’s energy grid and residential areas, leaving more than half of Kyiv without electricity.
Volodymyr, who lives on the 16th floor of the struck building, recalls the moments that changed everything.
“It was around 3 a.m. My wife was asleep. I woke up to the air raid siren. Then we saw it – a fireball, a blinding light. For a moment, our eyes couldn’t see. The explosion… I didn’t hear it, only felt the building shudder.
Windows and doors flew out. My wife fell off the bed and crawled through broken glass. Smoke filled the apartment in minutes. I shouted, ‘To the elevator!’ We grabbed what we could and ran.”
The strike hit the center of the building, destroying apartments from the 6th to 11th floors. Lower floors were flooded as firefighters battled the flames.
Windows shattered, doors twisted, people trapped. Officially, there were no deaths – but Volodymyr knows the real toll.
“Two neighbors died from smoke inhalation. An elderly man didn’t survive hospitalization. My wife badly injured her leg – she couldn’t walk for two weeks. People’s hair was burning. It was chaos.”
In the building’s second entrance, Lighti Biryukova faced a different, but equally terrifying ordeal.
“That day my mother came to visit. We were asleep in a room rather than the corridor, as usual,” she recalls.
“Glass started falling from the balcony. At first, I thought it was just the windows breaking from the shockwave. Then I smelled smoke. Our building was on fire, near the second entrance.”
Despite the fear, Lighti remained calm. “I have an anxiety disorder, so I was prepared. I had imagined situations like this every day. First: stay alive, no panic.”
She ran to her 14-year-old son’s room, gathered the family pets – including a rescued kitten – and led them to safety in the corridor. Tragically, the kitten did not survive the days that followed.
The strike left physical devastation. Lightu recounts neighbors trapped in apartments:
“My physics teacher suffered severe burns, and her husband died the next day. One cat inhaled smoke and suffered burns, but was rescued. A small dog didn’t survive.”
Some residents displayed extraordinary courage. On the seventh floor of the second entrance, a neighbor climbed along air conditioning units to a nearby balcony and managed to rescue his wife by pulling her across to the neighboring apartment.
“It was a miracle. They didn’t understand how it was even possible,” Volodymyr said.
“When I heard about this, my blood ran cold. But it was their only chance to survive,” Lighti said.
For Volodymyr, the moments after the strike were a mix of survival and disbelief.
“Photos of the building went viral instantly. Friends and relatives called nonstop. Our granddaughter drove across the city in half an hour to find us. We were alive. I can’t put that feeling into words.”
Even their old cat survived, hiding in the wardrobe, learning over three years of war to recognize Shahed explosions.
Both families face ongoing challenges. “We have electricity, but no heating,” Lighti said.
“Elevators freeze. Water is sometimes unavailable. We rely on gas heaters, bioethanol fireplaces from friends, makeshift brick-and-candle heaters. Sleeping bags replace blankets. The kitchen is the warmest room.”
Volodymyr adds, “By morning, our apartments were deprived of all utilities. No electricity, no heating, no gas, no water. Burned apartments are uninhabitable. But the main lesson? Hold on. Life goes on. The explosion is just one small episode in a big war.”
Both emphasize the importance of calm and preparation. Lighti: “Panic doesn’t help. Coordinated, calm actions save lives. Anything we can survive, we will survive.”
Volodymyr: “Keep your doors open during an air raid. Have an emergency bag with your documents. Don’t rely on miracles. I believe in God now because He believed in us.”
Across floors and entrances, ordinary people acted heroically, guided by instinct, planning, and sheer will to survive.
“We survived,” Lighti said. “And that’s the first, most important victory.”