Kyiv residents hold their breath, as Russian troops strike fear and loathing

Natalia (right) and her son, her mother Tamara (second left), as well as Tatiana and Violetta in the kitchen of her small house in southern Kyiv. © David Gormezano

Russian forces reached the outskirts of Kyiv several days ago, and violent fighting rages daily in its northern suburbs. For those who have not fled the Ukrainian capital, life has ground to a halt, and existence is punctuated by the rhythm of sirens and the rumblings of fighting. FRANCE 24 meets some residents of the Ukrainian capital.

Yuri Podorozhnii leads us to his terrace as soon as we arrive at his 13th floor apartment in southern Kyiv. Staring out at the skyline of residential buildings, the portly 48-year-old manages a wan smile. "It's my therapy," Podorozhnii confides. "Every morning, I come to see if the huge flag flying over the National Bank of Ukraine and the Motherland Monument, the city's iconic landmark, are still there," he explains.