Growing Up in a City That Refuses to Break
When the first Russian missiles struck Kyiv in February 2022, life in Ukraine’s capital was forever altered. Air-raid sirens, curfews, and shelters quickly became a part of daily existence. Yet amid this constant backdrop of war, an entire generation of young Ukrainians is coming of age—caught between the threat of destruction and the will to live fully.
Seventeen-year-old Anastasiia Kostenko is one of them. Her story, while uniquely hers, reflects the resilience of countless teenagers navigating adolescence in the middle of Europe’s most devastating conflict in decades.
A City Marked by War
Walking through central Kyiv today, reminders of the war are impossible to miss. Burnt-out Russian tanks stand like grim trophies on St. Michael’s Square. Across the city, moments of silence honor the fallen. Sirens still interrupt daily life, forcing families underground at a moment’s notice.
For Anastasiia, this is normal now. “The war has influenced us a lot. It changes our pace of life, the conditions in which we work,” she says quietly. To her, sirens and shelters are as much a part of school life as textbooks and exams.
A Bedroom of Contrasts
Step into Anastasiia’s room, however, and the war fades for a moment. Her walls are lined with books, her desk piled with study materials for her final exams. A soft stuffed toy dog sits at the corner of her bed—a relic of childhood she hasn’t let go of. Above it hangs a painting of Venice that she made herself, inspired by a family trip years earlier, before the full-scale invasion shattered Europe’s sense of peace.
It is in these small details that one sees the determination of a teenager trying to preserve normalcy while the world outside rages with uncertainty.
Youth Culture in a War Zone
Kyiv has always been known as one of Europe’s greenest capitals. Even now, its parks and gardens provide solace to those who remain. Anastasiia’s neighborhood, Teremky, borders a vast national park where she often walks to escape the constant noise of the city.
Despite the danger, Kyiv’s youth culture persists. Teenagers still gather in book cafés—quiet spaces where they read, sip coffee, and share croissants. These are moments of joy, defiance even, against the reality of war. For Anastasiia and her friends, such places are reminders that life is still worth living, still worth celebrating.
Learning Under Fire
School is perhaps the most vivid illustration of both disruption and resilience. Anastasiia attends a lyceum that has been retrofitted with underground shelters. When sirens wail, classes pause, and students file into basements until the threat passes.
Not all are so fortunate. Around 20% of Ukrainian students, according to education officials, must study remotely because their schools lack proper protection. Many of them have endured years without seeing classmates in person.
For Anastasiia, the stakes remain high. She is preparing for her final exams, determined to pursue her dream of studying applied chemistry. Even as war threatens to rob her generation of opportunities, she pushes forward with discipline and focus.
Choosing to Stay
An estimated one in four young Ukrainians dreams of leaving abroad, whether to study or to escape the uncertainty of war. Anastasiia, however, has no such plans. Her bond with Kyiv runs deep.
“This is my home,” she says with quiet certainty. She speaks of Kyiv’s rhythm, its history, its wide boulevards and green spaces. For her, leaving would be a betrayal—not just of her city, but of the life she wants to help rebuild once peace returns.
Hope Amid Hardship
The story of Anastasiia Kostenko is not one of despair, but of determination. War has taken away her sense of safety, her certainty about the future, and the carefree joy that most teenagers elsewhere take for granted. But it has also given her a sharper sense of purpose and belonging.
Her stuffed toy, her schoolbooks, her painting of Venice—all coexist with missile sirens and the distant echo of artillery. In that coexistence lies the essence of her life in Kyiv: defiance in the face of fear, resilience in the face of chaos, and hope when hope seems hardest to hold.
Kyiv is a city under siege, but it is also a city alive with voices like Anastasiia’s. Her determination to stay, to study, and to dream embodies the quiet strength of an entire generation growing up in war.
For the rest of the world, her story is a reminder: behind every headline about missile strikes or territorial advances, there are young lives unfolding—lives that, even amid destruction, refuse to be defined by war.
About The Author
