Hi there! It’s Sean here. So far, I can’t help but feel a sense of awe and amazement at how quickly time seems to be flying by. Therefore, it feels like I was doing my last update only yesterday, but here I am, back in Kyiv, ready to give you another glimpse into the city’s daily life.

Amid Threat of Further Attacks

Unfortunately, my first winter update isn’t as nice as I would have liked it to be. Since I was last here, It’s been a few weeks. However, now that I’m back, I can see things have changed. There was an attack on the park downtown Kyiv a couple of months ago, and I’m standing right next to what was the bomb crater. Despite this, they have just planted new trees, and the playground has been put back together.

Moreover, the first crater was here, and kids were actually playing inside it for a couple of weeks. Despite the uncertainty, Ukrainians kept moving forward and not letting the war stop them. In addition, I can see the red building in the back, which is the university, and scaffoldings and sandbags protecting the Shevchenko monument, one of the city’s most treasured monuments. That’s where the missile hit.

Life in Kyiv goes on.

Despite the tense atmosphere, traffic, bars, and restaurants remain open, and people continue to enjoy themselves out and about. However, there’s a feeling of anticipation in the air as people are unsure when the next attack will occur. As everyone knows that the system has been weakened, there’s an expectation that another strike is imminent, which could cause more outages for an unknown amount of time.

The US and other countries have been providing air defenses to help knock down more missiles, but everyone is just waiting, hoping that the next strike won’t come. It’s a strange feeling, but everyone is trying to stay positive and keep moving forward.

Hope for Reconstruction and Investment in Ukraine’s Future

As for real estate, there are a few clients out there, but it’s not the busiest season, with winter and the new year approaching. Prices are sliding down slightly, but there’s no sharp drop. Ukraine is a stubborn country, and that’s a good thing.

Despite everything that’s going on, there’s still a lot of interest in investing in Ukraine. I’ve been talking to people and networking, and a lot of big money is potentially ready to come in and do some reconstruction and build new things. It’s still early stages, and with everything happening, no one is ready to jump on any major projects just yet. But it’s positive news, showing that people want to be a part of Ukraine’s future.

As I finish up this update, I’m struck by how life goes on, no matter what. So far, people are pushing their kids on swings and playing in parks, even when they’re located in places that were bombed not too long ago. It’s a reality here, and I think Ukrainians are some of the toughest people out there. They keep moving forward, even when things get tough.

I’m grateful to be here and to be able to share this update with you. Life isn’t always easy, but the challenges make us stronger. I can’t wait to see what the next update will bring, and I hope things continue to improve in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.