Dutch in Kyiv grow increasingly concerned after Russian strikes recently kill about 60

Dutch citizens still living in Kyiv say they are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing deadly threat of Russian missile and drone attacks. Despite constant exposure to strikes and other war-related dangers, all of the Dutch that spoke to NU.nl's war journalist Hans Jaap Melissen still want to stay in Ukraine.

According to Leo de Lange, a 52-year-old consultant for Dutch companies, around 60 locals died in the recent air strikes. He said he has only now begun questioning whether his family should remain in the capital. He added that they would not move back to the Netherlands but would rather relocate to somewhere outside the city.

"For the first time, we are seriously thinking about whether we should leave Kyiv. The dangers are really increasing quickly," he told Hans Jaap Melissen.

The family lives in an apartment on the fourth and second-highest floor of the building. During drone attacks, they regularly take shelter in the hallway. When missiles are approaching, they go to a bomb shelter.

De Lange said Kyiv is becoming less safe, partly because Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot air defense missiles. U.S. President Donald Trump recently said Ukraine would be allowed to produce the systems itself, but De Lange said that would take time. “But then, of course, you are quickly a year further,” he said.

Bart van der Vossen, 66, a former hospitality entrepreneur who has lived in Ukraine for 30 years, lives in a village south of Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife. He said he often sees missiles and drones flying overhead toward the capital. “They shoot them down outside our village, because otherwise they would come down right on top of us,” he told Hans Jaap Melissen.

Van der Vossen said he is not planning to leave yet but has prepared for a worst-case scenario. That would be if Russian forces advanced to the Dnipro River through a peace agreement or military conquest. “Then we will leave. The Russians will always want to go further,” he said. He has stored 200 liters of gasoline and keeps enough food at home to last about a year.

The war is also reflected in his home through the dogs he has taken in. One of his huskies, Hera, belonged to a Ukrainian soldier who lost both legs and became blind, leaving him unable to care for the animal.

Another dog, Cooper, came from the front line, where many dogs and cats are left without owners. Aid workers search for shelters for the animals, and Van der Vossen said he takes them in when needed. He now has four dogs.

In central Kyiv, Dutch friends Bas Schuiling, 44, and Xavier van Buchem, 55, said the security situation is deteriorating. Both men also have Ukrainian partners and live in the same neighborhood.

“It is becoming increasingly crazy and dangerous,” Van Buchem told the war journalist. “More and more drones and missiles, the chance simply increases that you will be hit at some point.”

Schuiling, a web developer, said the most frightening moment was when a drone struck about 200 meters from their home.

Van Buchem, an application developer, lives near the Chornobyl Museum, which was hit at the end of May. The two men went into the metro as a precaution but felt the impact even underground.

The attack caused extensive damage in the area, but Van Buchem’s building only suffered broken windows in the stairwell.

The Dutch residents keep each other informed through a group chat. Schuiling said fewer Dutch people are living in Kyiv, although there is no exact figure for how many remain.

Despite the danger, Schuiling and Van Buchem said they do not want to leave Kyiv. “Leaving would mean giving in to the Russians; then one day you would have an empty city,” Van Buchem said.

Schuiling has taken an additional step by joining the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF), a Ukrainian volunteer defense organization. Twice a month, he spends 24 hours on a ship on the river equipped with an air defense system.

“Drones often come low over the river. We try to shoot them out of the sky,” he said.

The equipment used is decades old and resembles large machine guns, while Ukrainian military units farther away handle heavier air defense systems. Schuiling said they have trained using virtual reality simulations.

Foreigners have only recently been allowed to join the program. Schuiling has completed two shifts but has not yet shot down a drone. “Hopefully soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, De Lange continues to sleep in Kyiv despite his doubts. He said residents have adapted by learning where nearby shelters are located.

“There is an app where you can see where the shelters are in your area. Now we sometimes play tourist: we have never been to this shelter, shall we go there?” he told Hans Jaap Melissen.

The Dutch government is expected to announce more than 3 billion euros in new defense contracts and investment plans at the NATO summit, Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz said earlier this week. The measures include cooperation with Belgium on air defense, expanded naval ties with the United Kingdom, and additional defense projects with Germany.