Olena Konoplia tells us she spent weeks looking for a suitable location before settling on a cottage in a rural community two hours outside the capital.
“I decided the better option will be a little village without any factories, any [warehouses] and any railway stations,” Olena explains.
“Everything that can be a Russian target.”
On the day we visited, Olena was busy ferrying supplies to the house and supervising the installation of a new door.
In keeping with Ukrainian tradition, a priest has already been around to bless her new home.
The cottage has gas-powered convection heaters, but in an adjacent barn a stack of firewood will help to keep Olena warm in the event of power cuts. She has already installed high-speed internet, necessary for her work at a Kyiv-based charitable foundation.
At a time when air raid sirens sound constantly in Kyiv and explosions can be heard almost every day, the peace and quiet of the village is what Olena says she needs most.
“After several nights here, when I can sleep, just sleep, without any explosions, without any sirens, I feel better,” she says. “I can work, write my articles, I feel good.”
Olena’s elderly mother will soon be joining her.
“She lives in a pretty dangerous district in Kyiv and it’s harmful for her health,” she explains.
Of course, not everyone can afford a cottage in the countryside or a months-long trip abroad.
Most Kyiv residents will do what they can to survive another tough winter in the capital, just as they have before.
