At night, Kyiv's skies are lit by fire and boom with explosions, but by morning the streets thrum in a style familiar to any European capital, its Gen Z teens on ride-share scooters speeding past impeccably dressed executives en route to work.
One quote that captures the mood and has become popular on social media platforms in Ukraine says Kyiv looks like the famously glitzy Mediterranean city state Monaco by day, "and at night, like Afghanistan" during its war-torn years.
The city of 3 million people has endured several consecutive weeks of escalating deadly Russian drone and missile attacks. But, determined to hold on to some normality, many of its residents are living their daily routines with verve.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.