What are the impacts of acoustic terror? Physical and emotional exhaustion. Deterioration of health and exacerbation of chronic diseases. Manifestations of projection syndrome, when a person mistakes killer explosions with the thunder, the hum of a garbage truck with the flight of a killer drone, which Ukrainians call “shaheed” or “moped”.
All these are the consequences of acoustic terror, which Ukrainians have suffered from since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. With their attacks, the Russians not only sow death and destruction, but also intimidate, disorient and cause suffering to the population.
The concept of “acoustic terror” was introduced by researchers of the civic organization Maidan Monitoring Information Center in March 2022. Conducting research among residents of Kharkiv and Kyiv, they found that people suffered from loud sounds and shock waves. Which led to chronic stress, as well as health problems – both physical and mental.
In particular, a common consequence of acoustic terror was the manifestation of the so-called “projection syndrome” – when an ordinary person begins to perceive peaceful sounds as sounds of war and danger. This is a reaction to trauma, when completely harmless stimuli can cause negative emotions due to association with past experiences.
Residents of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih and Odesa shared their experiences of being subjected to acoustic terror. They told how the situation with shelling and bombing evolved over the past year, how they react to threats and how the terror affected their health.
Kharkiv. Russian attacks do not allow to sleep normally
Kharkiv has been suffering from Russian attacks since the very beginning of the full-scale invasion. People here literally feel what acoustic terror is. However, the big size of the city causes that the attacks that occur at one end may not be heard at the opposite end. The perception of acoustic terror depends on the district of the city.
Yevhen Tytarenko lives in the KhTP (Kharkiv Tractor Plant) district, which is the east end of the city. According to him, the district suffers the most from the “shaheeds” that fly by. And this is a rather scary phenomenon, notes Yevhen. He always reacts to the sounds of the drones in order to understand where it is flying to and whether he needs to hide. He needs to decide whether it is enough to just go into the apartment, or is it worth hiding in the bomb shelter. Although he notes that this year the second option has not been used.
“My cat, when it hears drone strikes or air defense, growls, hides in the closet,” said Yevhen Tytarenko. “And she doesn’t let me get a grip on herself. I don’t sleep well. I’m constantly listening to detect if a “shahed” is flying. When my windows are open, I hear a hum and think – what is that? Because sometimes they don’t write in the monitoring channels what exactly is flying. For example, if there is a “high-speed target” to Kharkiv, then there is 2-3 minutes to react upon it. As for health, my nerves suffer, nerves, nerves…. I’ve become more hot-tempered.”
As a result of acoustic terror, he began to suffer from headaches more often, although he thinks had already adapted to it. Also, after the shelling, Yevhen feels more “boiled”. Chronic dizziness has been added to these problems. According to the Kharkiv resident, this can be both a consequence of acoustic terror and a symptom of his previous neurological problems.
“When a car starts driving outside the window at night, you automatically listen to what it is and what to do about it,” said Yevhen Tytarenko. “You listen to every such sound, analyze it. Because recently a rocket flew over my house. It sounded like a car moving quickly along the highway. But then I immediately realized that it was a rocket. And around midnight this “paranoia” increases. Then you have to listen to these sounds. Especially when someone starts writing about attacks in chats.”
Chronic diseases have exacerbated
Serhii Petrov also lives in an area where you can often hear the “shaheeds” flying over. Due to constant stress, his chronic diseases have worsened and his general condition has worsened. One of the reasons is sleep disturbance. His sleep has become unstable, and there have been disruptions in his biorhythm. In particular, because Russian strikes often occur between three and five in the morning.
“The reaction to the strikes depends on how close the strike is,” Serhii Petrov said. “Over the past year, there have been both “shaheeds” and bombs of various calibers flying over me. I worry most not so much about my life as about the blast wave breaking the windows. I could get injured if the glass was damaged. In general, I have determined for myself that if there is a “shaheed” nearby, it is necessary to unlock the door so that it does not get jammed. And in case of an emergency, I can quickly open it.”
When a “shaheed” is buzzing nearby, you don’t know where it might fall, he added. This causes some concern. Serhii recalled that over the past year, several “shaheeds” and bombs had flown overhead or in close proximity to him. At the same time, he didn’t have paralyzing fear. On the contrary, he felt ready for action. And when explosions occur in Kharkiv, Petrov simply counts them. In particular, he does it to understand the approximate distance.
“By the loudness of the explosion from a particular type of ammunition, you can calculate the approximate place where it happened,” said Serhii Petrov. “Especially at night, when there is absolutely no city noise, no wind. Somewhere between two and half past four, it can be heard almost throughout the city. And not only the explosion of the killer drone, but also the sound of its dive when it approaches the target.”
It used to be quiet here
The situation with the bombing depends on the Kharkiv district. There are calmer districts, where the hits were rare from the very beginning. There are districts that were hit particularly hard like North Saltivka, which became one of the symbols of Russian terror. However, circumstances changed. Igor Dubrovsky lives in the area of Odeska Street, in the south of the city. According to him, there were hits in this district only in March 2022 or once a year until recently.
But the situation has worsened significantly in the last two months. There were both Iskander missile strikes and killer drone attacks.
“I have a cat, he is very scared,” said Igor Dubrovsky. “When there were hits somewhere in the city, he seemed to be indifferent to it. Although it was audible. But when our district is under attack, he gets scared. So, what do I do? I’m afraid, what do I do? I react. If I hear the drone in advance, I go into the corridor and pull my mother there. Because you can’t catch it, it all flies by very quickly. I try to avoid the impact zone, at least not to be wounded by the broken glass.”
A person feels overly sensitive to sounds
Acoustic terror had a very serious effect on him. The man became more nervous, he often had nervous reactions to unexpected sounds. He developed hyperacusis — a condition when a person feels excessive sensitivity to sounds. In particular, Igor began to react very sharply to high-pitched sounds. Because he heard the “shaheeds” right above his head, on the very approach to the explosion. Those were not very pleasant sounds.
“I live on Odeska Street,” said Kateryna Svid. “It used to be one of the safest and quietest areas of Kharkiv. But recently the situation has changed. For several months now, this area has been regularly suffering from shelling. There was one hit recently, on June 11. If I see in the monitoring groups that something is “flying” not towards us, I don’t react, I continue with my business. If I hear the sound of the “shaheed” above the building, I go into the corridor or to a safer place.”
She cannot say that she is completely used to explosions or “shaheeds”. But she assumes that some kind of adaptation has nevertheless taken place. In 2022, Kateryna reacted to all hits. “Now the body remains in tension, but you live on,” she notes. However, she did not avoid manifestations of projection syndrome. For example, the sound of a motorcycle is very similar to a “shaheed”. Or thunder, especially if it is sudden, similar to a hit. According to Kateryna, this is an instinctive subconscious reaction. Later, the brain puts everything on the shelves.
Odesa. Phantom sounds
Inna lives in the closest suburb of Odesa. According to her, there are both calm periods and real exacerbations. In particular, the city suffers from drone attacks, which mostly occur at night. There are ballistic missile hits. According to Inna, this is their main problem. After all, a missile flies from across the sea in literally two to three minutes.
“I am a teacher, I am responsible for a group of children,” Inna said. “And at the end of the semester we had an unpleasant situation when, according to the regulations, we had to go to the bomb shelter. And we didn’t even have time. We just sat on the floor between the classrooms. Because there was one missile, then the next. And about two minutes between them. That is, even this time is not enough to go out and hide. There were such powerful explosions that the board shook and swayed.”
The nights are restless now. And if the windows are open, it may even seem like drones are flying somewhere below them. The woman lives in the cottage community. A garbage collector comes there from time to time, buzzing. And with this sound, it resembles a “shaheed.” And when helicopters fly over Odessa, the woman does not immediately understand that they are not drones. However, the lack of anxiety immediately indicates: those helicopters are ours.
Panic reaction abroad
“I sometimes hear phantom sounds,” Inna admitted. “When there’s actually no anxiety, but it seems to me that I feel it. Sometimes I even ask my students in classes: “Guys, what’s going on?” For example, I see on my phone that they haven’t given a signal, but I hear some kind of hum. Sometimes it happens that it’s a real hum. Like some kind of transport is driving down the street. And sometimes it’s a completely phantom sound. That is, my brain gives it to me.”
From time to time, the teacher goes on business trips abroad. The last time she was in Sweden. She was working one night in a hotel when something sounded like an explosion outside. Inna suggests that it could have been some kind of garbage collector. But the reaction, according to her, was inadequate: she curled up on the bed, grabbed her laptop and for about five minutes tried to somehow explain to herself that nothing terrible could have happened, that she was in Sweden.
“After any such sound, you come to your senses, you realize that you are not in Ukraine,” Inna said. “But my reaction scared me a little. That I sat hunched over, I did not understand what was happening. You do not understand at all that you are not at home. For a second, you are like: what, where did it hit? And then you realize that you are not at home at all. And this cannot be.”
Kyiv. You are more afraid of distant sounds
Residents of Kyiv and its suburbs also shared their experiences. According to them, the situation with bombing is currently difficult. Russia is attacking the city with massive strikes, including combined ones. As Vlad Voloshyn, a resident of Solomyanskyi district, said, the hits of missiles and drones are recorded here every week.
“I react to this with fear,” said Vlad Voloshyn. “I don’t do anything in particular. The maximum is to go to the far room. I used to go down to the first floor. The impact (of acoustic terror) is negative: disrupted sleep patterns, headaches, fatigue, loss of productivity, apathy. Yes, projection syndrome manifests itself – thunder, sharp sounds are associated with explosions or drone flights.”
Daria also lives in Kyiv. She is originally from Kramatorsk, so she heard the first explosions in 2014 at the age of twelve. She also noted that Russian attacks have become much more frequent over the past year. According to the girl, she twitches during the shelling. Although during one of the recent attacks she was completely calm.
It affects sleep the most
“I didn’t even flinch from loud sounds,” Dasha recalled. “My boyfriend always takes us to shelter. During the last loud explosions, I saw that he was very scared, his hands were shaking. For me, it affects my sleep the most. Because I have sleepless nights, then the working day is screwed. Otherwise, I can’t notice any changes. Projection syndrome – absolutely, yes. And you understand that there is no air alarm and it’s just thunder, a lawnmower or a bike. But it still makes me shiver more than when there is a real hit or a crash.”
Olga Malysheva, who lives near the Golden Gate. According to her, shellings are not frequent, but very intense. When it does occur, it is really intense, the woman notes. As a rule, these are combined missile and drone attacks. Because of these attacks, the woman cannot sleep, because this sound background takes up all her resources. Olga Malysheva said that as a result of the shelling, she may have difficulty navigating in space and her eyesight deteriorates. Because of this, she may, for example, start bumping into furniture.
“In general, the Kyiv situation is specific in that we have a left and right bank of the Dnieper river,” said Olga Malysheva. “And those who live on one bank hear the sounds from the other side very distorted. We don’t know if it’s an air defence sound, or if it’s constant shooting of killer drones, or one powerful explosion with a long echo. That’s why you’re often much more afraid of distant explosions than those that happen right here. You hear a “moped”, you see that it’s being shot at, you understand what’s happening. And when you hear low-frequency but undefined sounds, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s scarier.”
People’s sense of smell deteriorates
The woman has a corgi dog. According to her, the animal is no longer afraid of the hits, but he is afraid of the shots of the Patriot air defence system. It has a very specific sound that hits the eardrums. There are other consequences of acoustic terror. For example, you begin to be afraid of garbage trucks, Olga noted. In her house, people had panic attacks when a machine that lays asphalt drove into their yard. And it emitted low-frequency sounds. The woman also saw more than once cases when people’s sense of smell worsened as a result of acoustic terror.
“Another purely my effect: the sounds of “moped” start to give me an incredible toothache,” said Olga Malysheva. “I have developed a feeling of disgust for them. Moreover, I can distinguish between a lawn mower and a drone very well. They seem very similar to me. But a lawn mower doesn’t hurt my teeth. That is, the subconscious distinguishes them much better than consciousness.”
Kryvyi Rih. The consequences of acoustic terror are lifelong
Olena Shafranova lives in Kryvyi Rih. She notes that the situation in her city has deteriorated significantly over the past year. In particular, there have been many airstrikes on civilian objects. The most terrible of which occurred on April 4, 2025, when nine children were killed by an Iskander strike.
However, Olena felt the effects of acoustic terror more strongly in 2022, when there were fewer strikes on the city’s civilian infrastructure. She could not sleep normally, her sleep was very sensitive. But now Olena sleeps soundly. Especially if she was very tired the day before. She also noticed that the impact of acoustic terror can be clearly manifested in a safe place where Russian attacks are not expected.
“When you are in close proximity to war, constantly hearing alarms, the hits of missiles, or how the “shaheed” moves, you do not react so sharply to it. Because your psyche is somehow subconsciously always ready for something to happen. You go abroad, to peaceful countries. Any sound causes you anxiety and even unusual reactions. There are acquaintances who simply fell to the ground and covered their heads when a motorcycle passed by or a plane flew by.”
She herself did not have such a reaction. But there was a moment when the woman got up really quickly and began to look for the source of the sound. Just to make sure that the object was really safe.
Fireworks act as a trigger
Olena also remembered traveling abroad with her daughter. They attended a holiday where fireworks were set off. The girl reacted with tears. She explained that it reminded her of explosions. The fireworks worked as a trigger, it became very scary. Olena’s friend also said that her child is very scared of such sounds abroad. And she asks – is it a missile flying?
“My observations: a person who is in dangerous conditions, their psyche, their mind realizes that at any moment some dangerous incident can happen,” noted Olena Shafranova. “And they do not react so sharply to sound effects. And when they are placed in a safer place, then hidden psychological traumas manifest themselves. Panic and emotional breakdowns occur.”
Olena has a grandmother who was born in 1938. She was very young when World War II began. The woman was afraid of thunder all her life. She had panic attacks because of this.
“I even scolded her, saying: ‘Why are you so afraid? Well, it’s just rain! It’s thunder…”, — recalled Olena Shafranova. — So, since childhood, all these sounds of war influenced her. I hope that the war will end soon. But the consequences will last a lifetime. And the children will always remember these sounds.”
Text author: Juliia Hush
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