By Mehmet Emin Caliskan

KYIV (Reuters – Alena Shinkar, an expectant mother is reading a book while she tries to remain calm on a temporary mattress placed along a dark underground passageway.

Although the Ukrainian had been in Kyiv’s maternity hospitals since February 24th, waiting for her due date, nerves have begun to fray.

According to her, “I shouldn’t stress now so I’m trying to cool down. But it is horrible what is happening.” She spoke English for Reuters.

We are in absolute hell. “I never thought that this would happen in the 21st Century.”

According to her, she witnessed women who gave birth via Caesarean section rush from the wards into underground passageways in order to escape bombardment.

The facility also has a nursery where young mothers can be treated. Newborns are kept in incubators and rocked by their parents.

Yula, who had a boy, Mark, when she gave birth, praised staff at the hospital for continuing during what Russia called a special military operation.

“We feel secure here. The best people in the world work here. We’re very proud of them.”

Dmytro Governorseyev was the head of the Maternity Hospital. He stated that most members of his staff had not fled the hospital since the invasion started a week ago.

He stated that around 70% of employees stay at the shelter permanently. They take turns doing work. The only difference between the two is the labour, which takes approximately 10, 15 hours to start and when there’s an alert for air strikes the shelter may need to be evacuated.

Shinkar, back underground, remembers the moment that the attack against Kyiv began.

“I woke up on Feb. 24 at 5 o’clock in the morning from the hit (rocket strike), I heard the explosion and women scream. It was the beginning of war. It was unbelievable. It was a nightmare. But it’s real. It is the way we live.”

She rubbed her stomach and added “Hopefully this one will find peace.”