"Arsenal" – the underground titan of Kyiv

I almost suffocated the first time I descended to this station! Imagine – five minutes on the escalator down, down, and even deeper down. It feels like you're sinking into the depths of the earth forever.

Our "Arsenal" is not just the deepest in Europe, but a true world record holder with a depth of 105.5 meters! And you know what? When you stand down there, in this marble palace under tons of earth and stone, you feel somehow uniquely protected.

Foreigners arriving in Kyiv are always shocked by our metro. How many times have I seen their astonished faces! They take out their phones and start filming this endless descent. And we, the locals, are just used to it. Although every time I go down there, I can't shake the feeling of something grand.

Do you know what the secret of "Arsenal" is? It is named after the arms factory that was nearby. The irony of fate – the station, going so deep underground, is connected to what brings death to the surface.

Sometimes I think – our metro could be as shallow as in Europe or the USA, but Soviet engineers always liked to play it safe. They built it so that the metro could serve as a bomb shelter. And as it turned out, not without reason... It's a pity that the times when this becomes relevant are returning.

Come to Kyiv when everything is over. Go down to "Arsenalna". It's worth seeing with your own eyes!