On the eve of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukrainian residents have reluctantly become accustomed to the constant threat of air raids, drone and missile attacks that cause sirens to sound several times a day. In kyiv, an entrepreneur had the idea of offering “ bunkers » portable to assemble yourself.
1 min
With our special correspondents in kyiv, Nathanaël Vittrant and Jad El Khoury
In the large hangar of a half-abandoned industrial zone of the Ukrainian capitalSergei Zaharin is busy cutting the metal plates that make up what looks like a safe the size of a wardrobe, and what he has called “life capsules”.
“ I used to make woodworking equipment, but circumstances forced me to adapt “, he confides.
A kind of pocket bunker – an “Ikea” bunker as these workers call them – made up of metal plates five millimeters thick, with enormous bolts. “ It’s very strong, the capsule should be able to withstand any falling debris, even if the whole house falls on it », says Sergei Zaharin.
The ringing of his phone interrupts the conversation. There is had raids this Thursday morning, “ I get orders “, he explains. Before hastening to add: “ Najarl » (“ Unfortunately... )
But don’t go asking him if the situation is good for business. “ No, don’t say that. The cost of a life pod is 53,000 Hyrvna, and I’m selling them for 70,000, minus taxes. At this price, it’s no longer business: it’s charity », he says, annoyed. In twenty-four months of war, the Russian invasion left tens of thousands of dead and wounded, civilians and soldiers.
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