Graz woman describes daily life in Kyiv under Russian attacks

Sonja Rentz, a 24-year-old from Graz who has lived in Kyiv since summer 2025, says repeated Russian attacks shape her daily life, ORF reports. She says the city has good infrastructure and affordable rents, but a nearby bridge and a heating plant are among the targets that come under fire repeatedly.

From her apartment on the 16th floor, Rentz recently saw vehicles outside her building destroyed in an attack. “We don’t really know whether they were targeted attacks or whether air defence intercepted something that then came down near us,” she said. A nearby petrol station and a residential complex have also been hit several times this year, she said.

The building has a well-equipped shelter with two exits. Rentz and her partner now spend almost every night there, compared with about one night a week at the beginning.

Rentz works for the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, where she leads the communications department and helps organise events. The contrast between burned-out vehicles, bomb craters and an evening gala is part of her life in Kyiv, she said.