04/19/2022
April 18, 2022
Lviv, Ukraine
Our train stops, the doors open and we're greeted by a sunrise painted purple and pink. The air was calm and brisk and people with tired eyes rolled their bags onto the platform. Lviv has been a safe haven in western Ukraine for almost 2 months now. For some, like us, it’s the final stop before Poland. For others, it’s a safe distance to wait out the ongoing war in their home cities with hopes to go back and rebuild as soon as it’s over.
Today was a travel day. The itinerary: catch up on work, meet up with a friend from here, and walk its beautiful streets before heading to the border. It was still too early for anything to be open so we decided to stay in the station to get a head start.
Around 8:25, we search for a cafe nearby for a change of scenery. It seems a train has just arrived with a new wave of passengers making their way down from the platform. As we pass them, we talk about the contrast in the pace and urgency in Lviv station since the crowded scenes we’ve seen from the early days of the war. We open our app to find a driver as we step towards the exit.
8:30
We hear a few muffled thuds like loud knocking from a distance. Some perk their heads and we look around. A few jolt outside but most of us continued norma-
whoosh, THUD. THUD. THUD.
This time, you feel the bass in your core and the ground tremble beneath your feet.
Those confused looks turn to worry and fear. It’s hard to distinguish the direction of the shelling, and harder to predict where the next target is. People shuffle in all directions, and most make their way back to safety underneath the platforms. Passengers from the buses scurry towards the station while military servicemen and police rush out. A few remain to maintain control and safety of everyone with the help of volunteers in blue and orange vests. Hundreds of people huddle on each side of the station hiding under the platform level. Husbands hold their wives and mothers hold their children as we wait out the threat.
The missiles struck only a few hundred meters from us. In a matter of seconds, 7 lives are lost and 11 injured. This attack marks the first casualties in Lviv.
