Trader Daniel Porcedda has lived and worked in Kyiv for 20 years. He told RTL that Ukrainians fail to understand the excitement of the Western world.
“It’s obviously a topic of discussion. People are scared I think, they are worried. But given that they live in a country that has been at war for eight years , they see things very differently compared to outsiders, it’s a more relaxed view.”
Porcedda said that images of military reservists preparing for crisis intervention were isolated cases and should not be used to gauge the population as a whole. In Kyiv, the last few days have been quiet, with perhaps fewer people on the street, but otherwise, for residents in the Ukrainian capital, nothing has changed.
Footballer Enes Mahmutovic, who represents Luxembourg at an international level, has spent the last year and a half playing for FK Lviv, situated near the Polish-Ukrainian border. He said the crisis had thus far not affected his daily life and work.
“The championship continues, although Donetsk for example no longer play fixtures at home because of the high risk. They have moved their games to Kyiv. Mariupol is the only club that is close to the conflict zone.”He said his family and friends in Luxembourg worry more than he does. “I believe my father follows the media and tries to understand what is going on. He always asks me about the situation and tells me that if there is a problem, I should return home immediately.”
When the United States and other Western powers began advising their citizens to leave Ukraine, there was no panic in Kyiv. Porcedda said he hasn’t started packing his bags either. “Even if Russia plans to attack Kiev, it’s unlikely that tomorrow Russian tanks will be standing outside our gates. When the time comes, we will have time to pack our bags”.
