In Ukraine, living as normal is an act of defiance

Saturday night in Kyiv, and the streets are dark and snowy. After several waves of missile attacks on the electrical infrastructure of Ukraine over the past month, power is rationed and whole blocks are in blackout. In a hip former industrial area full of restaurants and bars, partygoers gather at the entrance to an underground club to be checked by bouncers. The dress code being enforced is “Dress to Impress”. It’s 6:30 in the evening. Nightclubs start early in wartime; curfew is at 11pm. Thigh-high pink boots and a silver mini dress are hidden beneath a puffy coat against the cold. Downstairs in a vaulted basement, the crowd pulses, wreathed in smoke and lit with blue and magenta strobe lighting.

“At first I was a bit worried about partying,” says Vlad Putistin, the DJ for the evening. “Is it the right thing to do? But it’s my job. I need to make money; I need to continue living.” Not long ago a partygoer thanked him for a great set. It turned out to be a soldier, on leave from the front, grateful for a good time. ‘”I didn’t know what to say,” said Vlad. “I told him, thank you.”