Anyone who currently speaks to Natalia Schapowal via video call will first receive a situation report: The district where she lives was shelled by Russian rockets that morning, says the head of the research institute of the Kyiv School of Economics. The own building has been spared, but the electricity is gone. It is therefore not entirely clear whether the battery will last and how long the call can last. The students of her renowned university will continue to be taught. When the sirens go off, everyone has to go into the shelter until the lecture can continue. "But we're staying in Kyiv and we're going to stay strong," says the economist, who is dressed warmly. It's cold in her apartment.

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