While countries such as the US and the UK have advised their citizens to strongly consider leaving Ukraine over the possibility of a Russian incursion, in Kyiv, officials have projected a certain calm.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said the situation is “under control” and that Russia’s “provocations are more of the same” since the Kremlin sent troops here back in 2014.
The path of diplomacy, we are told, is still open but as neither the West nor Russia seems to want to be the first to blink over the issue, the people of Ukraine are left in limbo.
They are used to living with tension but it’s never been as unpredictable as it is now.
“It’s scary. Parents are especially afraid. They don’t know what the situation will be. The exchange rate for the dollar is rising, prices are getting higher. The elderly have started to panic. My friends and I are thinking of going to Europe for some time and wait there,” Lolita, a Kyiv resident, told Euronews.
“It concerns every Ukrainian. Some people have started gathering food, some are cleaning their weapons and preparing for an attack. There is a lot of information about this in the media. Everyone knows about this threat,” Oleh, another resident, added.
For Andriy, “this would not be a conflict, it would be a real war”. He believes Ukrainians are ready for it.
“The majority of people in Ukraine are ready for what might happen.”
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Paris on Wednesday, with French and German mediators, in an attempt to de-escalate the tensions. They have agreed to meet again.
In the meantime, Ukrainians have little choice but to carry on with their routine lives.
Watch the full report with Euronews international correspondent Anelise Borges in the video player, above.
