Itinerant sailor priest Leif Magne Helgesen came to Kyiv on Sunday. The purpose of the trip was, among other things, to meet local church leaders and Scandinavians who stay in the Ukrainian capital. But on Monday morning, Helgesen was woken up by a phone call from the reception at the hotel. Several large explosions were reported in Kyiv. – I was told that an aircraft alarm had gone off. Then it was just a matter of getting dressed and going down into the bunker, a bomb shelter two floors below the hotel. I was allowed to take a bag with me with the most important things; water, passport and something to read, says Helgesen on the phone from Kyiv. He is in the bomb room with about a hundred people. – There are beds here, and some chairs at a table. We read, write a little and talk. The most important thing you can do is talk to people, it’s like a straw into the fresh autumn air, says Helgesen. At least five people are said to have been killed in the explosions on Monday. Explosions have also been reported in several other places in Ukraine. According to Professor Tormod Heier, there may be talk of Russian retaliation for the fire on the Krim Bridge on Saturday. The map shows that there have been explosions in several places in Ukraine on Monday. Knows fear Helgesen usually lives in Stavanger, but has traveled a lot as a sailor’s chaplain. Ukraine is one of the countries he is responsible for. But the experienced priest has not been back in the country since the Russian invasion in February. He says many people in the bomb room are scared. – It is clear that there is a fear here, which spreads in the room. This has become a serious situation. Helgesen knows little about what happens outside the hotel. The internet is unstable and they only read simple news messages. – I am also in contact with the embassy. But I think you in Norway see more of what is happening in Kyiv than I do. There are not many other Norwegians in the city now. – Norwegians in Kyiv work at the embassy and some other places. There are not many Norwegians or Scandinavians here, but they have an additional need for a chat with someone from outside, says the priest. Itinerant sailor priest Leif Magne Helgesen took this photo when he came to Kyiv on Sunday. The next morning he had to evacuate to the hotel’s bomb room. Photo: Private – Difficult to know what is happening He believes it is also useful for him as a priest to experience how the war affects the people who live with it every day. – It’s good for me to know a little about and feel a little about the fear that people here live with after all. This is part of the reality in Europe today. I feel that fear a little too, I have to say. This is a large war zone. Helgesen does not know how long he and the others will stay in the bomb room. – It is difficult to know what will happen around the next turn, The only certain thing is that at the moment nothing is certain, he says.
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Seaman priest Leif Magne Helgesen has sought refuge in a bomb shelter in Kyiv – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
