Kyiv, Ukraine I Despite the war and the bombing alerts, the youth of the Ukrainian capital take advantage of the weekends to go dancing. And not always legally. Guided tour.
• Read also: Zhenya, the chef who served 700,000 meals to Ukrainian soldiers
• Read also: In Yulia’s class, Ukrainian children play music to forget about the war
2 p.m.
Due to the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in the streets of Kyiv, the city’s clubs open their doors very early. For the first time in my life, I walk through the doors of a club just after lunch. Funny feeling.
Here I am installed with a tea (again, this is a first!) on one of the benches of the Kureni, one of the best addresses in the Ukrainian capital in terms of electronic music.
Sony, the DJ in charge of the “warm-up” is already behind the decks. The world begins to arrive.
“You’ll see, in an hour or two, it will be full,” warns me Aleksey Smushkov who runs the establishment.
After a quick tour of the premises, we come to talk about the subject that inevitably comes up in all discussions: war.
Aleksey explains to me that he regularly organizes parties to raise funds to contribute to the war effort. Thanks to the money thus collected, he buys equipment which he delivers himself to the Armed Forces, in the field.
According to him, it is important that the young people of the country continue to party, in particular to spare their mental health. But it must be done while supporting, each in his own way, the soldiers on the front.
“Come back later,” he whispers to me at the time of the greetings. You’ll see what our evenings look like.”
The invitation did not fall on deaf ears.
8 p.m.
After devouring a bowl of ramen at Torisho Izakaya, one of the many Japanese restaurants in the Ukrainian capital, I return to Kureni where I meet up with Aleksey.
It is now Gianluca Felline, a DJ who came especially from Switzerland, who is behind the decks. He is present here in Kyiv within the framework of the evenings with the evocative theme, “DJs with balls” (in French, “DJs with balls”).
On the house and minimal techno program. The sound is delicate (understand: it does not compress the eardrums), the beat makes you want to dance, the audience is valid.
At the bar, we drink beer, mainly Corona. We also take shots of Nepoborna vodka, which features on the label the famous drawing of the Ukrainian soldier addressing his middle finger to a Russian ship.
It’s 8 p.m., the curfew falls in 3 hours. However, the evening has only just begun.
Photos Mathieu Carbasse / Editing Julie Verville
10 p.m.
There’s only an hour left until curfew. Around me, the world is agitated to organize its second part of the evening. The options abound.
Aleksey comes to talk to me: “Bro, if you want to have a real party here, in Kyiv, you have to go there”.
Over there, it’s a downtown club whose name and address will be kept secret in this report. These evenings are illegal, they explain to me, so you have to be very discreet.
Aleksey then introduces me to one of his good friends, Alyona. It is with her and her boyfriend Georgii that I will continue the night.
We call an Uber.
Photos Mathieu Carbasse / Editing Julie Verville
10:45 p.m.
Ten minutes later, we sink into the basement of a building in the city center (which notably houses a famous hotel).
In Kyiv, “after parties” take place from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and coincide with curfew hours. Thus, all the people who will enter this club will not be able to leave before the early morning. It’s a bit like going on a 6-hour cruise together.
In terms of security, there is no risk, Georgii confides to me. The club being located on level -2, people will be able to dance all night long, even in the event of bombardments on the capital.
In order to keep the location secret, all phones are confiscated before going through the door. They will be collected upon departure.
Inside, I find several familiar faces of the Kureni.
About a hundred people are there, driven by the same desire to enjoy the 4 DJs who will take turns in the next few hours.
Photos Mathieu Carbasse / Editing Julie Verville
02h
The evening is well launched, difficult to say that we are in Kyiv, capital of a country at war. And yet…
As in Paris or Berlin, the establishment’s toilets are very busy. Cocaine and GHB circulate well, visibly. There don’t seem to be any supply issues there.
The bar, too, is always full. Gin and tonic and bottled water are top sellers.
We do not pay immediately, each customer will pay before leaving. Either way, security has our phone. They therefore know that we will not disappear into the wild without paying.
Price level, the prices are still higher than in the other bars of the city. It takes a little less than 10 dollars for a gin and tonic.
05h
The curfew has just been lifted, yet no one gives the impression of wanting to leave the premises. The good atmosphere is still there and the DJs are still as inspired.
06h
It’s time to pay for your drinks before leaving the premises discreetly.
Security raises a metal curtain. We all go out as one before ending up in the courtyard of a hotel.
Within minutes, everyone will be gone, on foot, by Uber or by taxi.
06:30
I finally get back to my hotel, exhausted but aware that I have just had an incredible adventure.
I go to bed with a heavy body but a light heart.
This report was produced with the financial support of the Fonds québécois en journalisme international.