By Dominic Culverwell

Russia is not just fighting against Ukraine; it is fighting against you.

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This is your war, too, and you should prepare as such.

This is what I tell people when I return to the UK from my adopted home in Kyiv. Of course, I ramp up the shock value, but the point remains – Russians see this as a fight against NATO.

It's hard and uncomfortable to imagine yourself in a war. But you should. Because after four years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has shown it's not scared to cross the line, even flying dozens of drones into Poland last year.

I’ve lived in Ukraine’s embattled capital for three years, but my relationship with the city began in 2017. Back then, I fell in love with its creative, revolutionary spirit and visited every year afterwards.

I’ve seen the city adapt and morph from a peaceful, hidden gem of Europe to a war-hardened fortress where a weary population finds new ways to survive against Russia’s relentless onslaught.

Now I know where to hide during a missile and drone strike – in the bathroom or hallway where you have four solid walls and no windows – or to always have stacks of bottled water in case the taps shut off after an attack. I’ve even brought devices I didn’t know existed, like portable backup power stations for day-long blackouts.

I know what a city used to look like in peacetime and how it looks with trenches carved into city parks and anti-tank devices littering the streets. That gives me a reference point to visualise what London or Berlin would look like under attack – something I often imagine when I’m in those cities.

Do I think there’s going to be a Ukraine-style invasion of Germany or the UK? Probably not. But I do think that Russian drones pose a portentous threat to us that most people outside of Ukraine can’t even comprehend. The technology developed over the last four years means Russia can wage a remote war without ever planting boots on our soil.

Russia’s massive 3.5-metre-long suicide drones can reach every part of Europe, including my family’s house in England. At least 100 were spotted near Europe’s critical infrastructure last year, which is exposed and vulnerable. Some countries understand the danger, with Lithuania now spending 140 million euros to fortify over 150 energy facilities. But many don’t.

If Moscow wanted, it could hammer Europe’s energy grid the same way it has decimated Ukraine’s this winter. Most power plants wouldn’t know how to defend against 100 drones flying at once, so countries would suffer devastating power outages.

Ukrainian energy firms are offering advice and training to their European counterparts, and they would do best to listen to their experienced Ukrainian colleagues. But so far, I haven’t seen many Western energy companies openly discuss the threats from Russia. And the public has little clue how grave those threats are.

I don’t expect people outside Ukraine to live in constant fear of Russian drone strikes causing nationwide blackouts. But I do explain to those I know how we survive them in Ukraine, just in case Russia decides to strike them next.

Dominic Culverwell is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine's largest English-language media outlet, who has lived full-time in Kyiv since 2023.

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