Photos of the London Underground in the 1940s and the Ukrainian Underground in the 2020s
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When Russia attacked Ukraine in January 2022 and residents took refuge in the subway system, the city was eerily reminiscent of London during World War II.
One of the ironies of metro stations in cities like Kiev and Kharkiv is that they were dug deeper during Soviet times to protect citizens from Western bombs. Now it protects them from Russian attack.
Echoes of the Blitz: underground shelters in Ukraine and London — at London Transport Museum March 1, 2024 – Spring 2025 – 70 historical images and 38 contemporary photographs explore how city dwellers have used underground transportation networks as a means of protection.
More than that, these underground shelters quickly grow into temporary housing, where residents sleep, cook, wash, and even care for their pets.
Evacuations in the Kyiv metro reached a peak during the first Russian invasion in February 2022, but the stations are still used as air raid shelters, as is the case with the Kharkov metro, which is located near the Russian border.
Echoes of the Blitz was created in partnership with n-ost, a Berlin-based journalist network that has previously shown images of Ukrainian metro stations in Germany and the Czech Republic.
‘Echoes of the Blitz: Ukraine and London’s underground shelters’, London Transport Museum, March 1, 2023 – Spring 2025. This exhibition is included in your paid admission to the London Transport Museum.
Last updated: March 4, 2024
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