Kateryna Storozhuk no longer sleeps in her old bedroom in her apartment in Bucha, west of Kyiv.
The threat of Russian air strikes and flying glass or shrapnel was keeping her up at night. "I was so concerned about it that I couldn't sleep," she said.
Storozhuk decided to take a potentially life-saving step. She bought a steel shelter, called a Life Capsule, and installed it in her spare room.
The unit costs about $2,400 and breaks down into pieces for transport to buyers' homes. Once assembled, it can hold up to six people.
Storozhuk has furnished hers with pillows and blankets, turning it into a comfortable space for one.
"When there's an air-raid alarm and the air-defense system is working, I shut the doors like that and sit inside for half an hour or a full hour. When there's no alarm, I keep the doors open," she said.
The Life Capsule was designed by Kyiv resident Serhiy Zakharin. He says it can withstand 43 tons of weight if it's caught under a falling structure.
To prove the shelter's durability, Zakharin arranged for a 1-ton weight to be dropped on a Life Capsule from a crane while he was inside. The capsule passed the test intact.
The pod also has emergency hatches and multiple ventilation holes, safety features designed for the possibility of a user being caught under debris.
"If you analyze what kills people most often during air strikes, it's the shock wave that smashes windows or rubble that buries you, so you die before the rescuers arrive. The safety pod protects your body from that," Storozhuk said.
Other manufacturers are creating similar systems for the market. A Ukrainian company called Resq Pods has designed a heavy-duty shelter meant to withstand missile attacks as well as natural disasters.
But one expert cautioned that the Life Capsule cannot guarantee safety in all circumstances.
"The frame is made of metal and is relatively strong, but the walls are quite thin and won't stop big pieces of shrapnel or a strong shock wave," Dmytro Makahon, a civil engineer, told RFE/RL. "It creates a feeling of safety, but an underground shelter is much safer."
Storozhuk notes that the Life Capsule has one major advantage: convenience. When an air-raid alarm goes off, she said, there isn't always enough time to reach an underground shelter before danger strikes.
With the threat of fresh Russian attacks still looming, she believes that additional protection in her own home is well worth the price.
