Nothing at the black steel door in an anonymous backyard reveals that right here, under the ground, lies the coolest club in Kyiv.
Down a flight of stairs, and TV 2 goes straight into the party which is about to take off completely.
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Relaxation
On stage, the band pumps out here after here from the 80s and 90s, to wild cheers from the club guests at Barman Dictate. In the mass of sweat and dance, we meet Denis Karsov, who radiantly recognizes the TV 2 logo on our microphone.
– FRIEND OF NORWAY: Denis recognizes the TV 2 logo after recently visiting Norway. Photo: Pål S. Schaathun / TV 2
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Denis was recently on the Harangervidda and Geilo to kitewhich is a snowboard with a kind of parachute as traction.
– People need to disconnect, otherwise the excitement will be unbearable, Denis answers questions about why he is out on the town tonight.
He himself is far more interested in talking about Norway and a music festival he will soon arrange in Odesa on the Black Sea coast, than big politics and the danger of Russian invasion.
– My friends and I go here to the club to recharge.
A bar inside a bar
The wall room is a bit reminiscent of an underground station in London, and has resisted both bombing during World War II, as well as various attempts by the government and police to stop parties.
Then a remote-controlled steel door opens and reveals another room, with a bar inside the bar.
– Hello, how are you, says a woman and sends some smoke straight into the lens of photographer Pål, while she poses sensually in front of the camera.
– SMOKE: Take a sensual picture of me, says «Tata». Photo: Pål S. Schaathun / TV 2
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Because down here on the ground, it is Tatjana “Tata” Kepler who rules, and neither the smoking law nor Covid restrictions will put any damper on the party tonight.
– Look here, says Tata, and give us a leaden ashtray. These are made of used grenade shells from the front line east of the country. We buy them to support our soldiers,
The bar manager thinks the club in Kyiv functions as a refuge in a double sense. Where one is safe from bombs, but can also seek refuge from the extreme pressure Ukrainians now live under.
– We try to forget the world out there, but we can not.
Parting away the fear of war in Kyiv
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Fear invasion
In recent days, Russian-backed separatists have carried out hundreds of attacks in eastern Ukraine. The positions of the Ukrainian military are the framework, but also civilian buildings such as schools and kindergartens along the entire front line.
Several of the employees at the club have themselves fled the area that the separatists control in the so-called Donbas area. Bartender Nikita Mazulov is actually from Lugansk, which was taken by the separatists in 2014, and fears Putin will attack again.
– Many of us did not think it would happen in 2014 either, but look what happened. We can expect anything, he thinks.
– BAR-IN-BAR: Behind a steel door inside the club Barman Diktat we find the “secret” bar Ghost Station. Exclusive drinks are served here. Photo: Pål S. Schaathun / TV 2
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It’s getting close to midnight, and in the White House in the United States, President Joe Biden is taking the podium. Biden says he is sure Russia will invade Ukraine. This time, he goes further than before, adding that all indications are that Putin will also attack the capital Kyiv.
At the same time as Biden speaks, the atmosphere reaches new heights at the nightclub TV 2.
There is toasting, barking, flirting and dancing, as if no danger threatens. As if no Russian forces were marching on the borders.
– GROUP PRESS: Svitlana is a teacher and photographer, and claims that it was her friends who lured her to town tonight. Photo: Pål S. Schaathun / TV 2
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Svitlana Mazina had actually intended to stay home, but claims she was pressured and lured and pushed out of the group of friends, she said. Several friends abroad have asked her to leave the country and come and live there, but so far Svitlana has not accepted the offer.
– You are not afraid to stay in Kyiv?
– It is better to be out on the town than to sit at home alone and be afraid of the war that may come, says Svitlana and takes a sip of the drink.
