Kyiv has a dilemma with war. There are places and times when you could almost forget that the city is the capital of a country ravaged by armed conflict. Pockets of calm and wild parties, which sometimes shock or at least surprise combatants returning from the front, passing through for a three-day rest or to receive treatment for a nasty injury. Some are stunned to discover their girlfriends leaving a beauty salon and spending the afternoon in a café. Surprised, too, to find that alongside them, young men continue to live their lives, with no thought of taking up arms to defend their country.

In three years, Kyiv has gone from a capital with columns of Russian tanks at its gates to the country's best-protected city, thanks to its anti-aircraft defense systems. A city where children go to school, their parents to work and, at weekends, young people go dancing in techno clubs such as the legendary K-41 or Closer, while lovers stroll through the parks without worrying too much about warning sirens.

Kyiv's dilemma with the war is not the same as it was before the Russian invasion of February 2022, when the capital was accused of turning a blind eye to the conflict in the Donbas, which began in 2014. Since Moscow made it the priority target in its bid to conquer Ukraine three years ago, Kyiv has known it was under threat. The fact that the initial Russian assault, from February 24 to April 2, 2022, failed after five weeks of battle does not mean that Kyiv is not a city at war. And should Kyiv forget this, Moscow is sure to remind it with its frequent night-time bombing attempts.

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