Inside Kyiv’s co-living community

Kyiv street view. Photo: Adam Reichardt

For those unfamiliar with the contemporary co-living model, it emerged in the middle of this decade, targeting a cosmopolitan audience, in the 18-35 age bracket, who are struggling with high living costs and loneliness. One of the key aspects of co-living spaces is the inclusion of social and work areas within a complex, designed to heighten community and encourage residents to pursue projects together. A quick internet search reveals prospectus-style photographs of well-groomed millennials grinning happily as they work away on their laptops whilst drinking coffee in a large room that looks like it could be either a fancy café or a hotel lobby. It all feels a little artificial, especially when most of the major co-living companies charge over 850 euros per month for a room, with some even exceeding 2,000 euros. This certainly diminishes the affordability facet, making them unavailable to most students and workers on minimum wage who arguably require these spaces the most.

New ideas, new opportunities

When the opportunity arose to stay at one of Kyiv’s co-living spaces, part of a project called Vilnyy, I was curious to see how Ukraine’s youth would appropriate the concept. As it opens up to the European Union, current trends encouraging community have become more prevalent in the country, such as co-living and co-working spaces. Ideas are often appropriated and reiterated from neighbouring countries, such as Poland and Hungary, which in turn have been utilised from western states. Ever since visa-free travel to the Schengen area was introduced in 2017, Ukrainians have had the opportunity for convenient, low-cost travel, and the opportunity to learn new ideas from elsewhere. In contrast to their western counterparts, the spaces tend to have a grassroots feel in Kyiv. This is partly a result of more empty and affordable space to experiment with, as well as cheaper resources and a lack of funding from organisations or government.

The interest in co-living and co-working spaces developed over the past few years as Kyiv experienced a boom in freelancing work. The city’s electronic-music scene has reached worldwide fame, creating a tourist industry of its own, run predominantly by young people. Meanwhile, its reputation as one of Europe’s tech hotspots is growing, with many graduates looking towards programming as a viable career option, and thus creating a successful start-up culture that has caught the eye of western investors desperate to counteract Russian intervention. The growth of these sectors, which is largely made up of freelancers and independents, offers bounty of opportunity for collectives like Vilnyy to provide people with affordable spaces where they can live, work and meet like-minded people.

I stayed in Vilnyy’s first Kyiv based co-living space, currently one of five in the capital, whilst it has other spaces in Lviv, Chernivtsi and Odesa – cities with sizeable student populations. Arriving at a moderately weathered, yellowing 1990s-style apartment block, the image of London’s sleek, co-living spaces immediately vanished. Nonetheless, the apartment was clean and modern inside, spread over two floors with large spacious rooms and a balcony overlooking Kyiv’s trendy Podil district, home to students and creatives, situated a few kilometres from the city centre. Fourteen people live here, mostly in their twenties and either studying at the nearby Mohyla Academy or working in IT.

The head of this apartment is a web developer named Alex who is in charge of operating the space, organising events as well as the awkward job of collecting everyone’s 2,600 hryvnia (90 euro) rent every month. The free second-hand furniture that Alex successfully scouted, as well as the makeshift beds in the large living room and bunk-beds in the upstairs bedrooms, provides an improvised, organic feel – halfway between a squat and a hostel. It is entirely self-sufficient, not reliant on grants or support from external sources. It is built and designed by the community living there, adapting with each change of resident.

Instantaneous community

It is impossible to not mention the EuroMaidan revolution when talking about Vilnyy. Indeed, one of the hard hats, a symbol of the movement, is proudly displayed above the fireplace. The Vilnyy initiative began when a protestor, inspired by the system of communication that the Maidan generated, dedicated his time to creating a communal society. Realising that individuals were capable of making serious change when dialogue and community were encouraged, he wanted to build a space for like-minded people to come together and discuss ways of improving civic society. Embracing the co-living concept, which has developed across Western Europe and the United States, he embarked on the challenge to bring something similar to Ukraine; although he adapted the concept towards a European-orientated youth movement rather than a capitalist by-product of a competitive housing market.

Over the weekly communal meal on Mondays, in which all residents of the apartment are invited to share a large dinner, I got to know the people and their reasons for living here. For most the low cost rent was a big attraction, only costing around a third of Kyiv’s average rate price. The overarching factor, however, was the instantaneous community that Vilnyy provided. The capital attracts thousands of young people from villages, towns and smaller cities that offer little in the way of opportunity and exploration. The slow post-Soviet way of life pushes ambitious people away, and many opt for the metropolitan Kyiv instead. However, new arrivals can find Kyiv an isolating and lonely experience.

For people like Maria, a 20-year-old journalism student who came to Kyiv to finance her studies and make industry connections, Vilnyy was a welcoming haven. It offered her the time and security to find a job and make friends, something that is hard to achieve when your university is 300 kilometres away and you only have the chance to commute a handful of times every semester. She quickly made friends with the residents and carries the optimism of Kyiv’s youth.

However, the space is less overtly political than some of the other initiatives that emerged from the Maidan; rather the focus is on keeping the Maidan’s channels of communication open. That is not to say that politics is entirely absent: though some of the residents are involved in the activist community, it is still possible to be entirely apolitical and live in Vilnyy. Curiously, it is those within the 18-27 age group – those who were still in high school or university during the 2014 revolution – who are less political. Perhaps this is because they feel the political outcome was a disaster or were too young to enjoy the brief success of the 2004 Orange Revolution. Yet they still hold views close to the Maidan’s vision of European values. Instead of entering politics, they have worked towards developing the country on a civic level, clutching on to Kyiv’s wave of revolutionary optimism. There is a breeze of excitement and possibility previously thought impossible, as young people are now confident that many others share their values and ambitions.

Fighting the temptation to emigrate

Within Vilnyy itself, there is the option of utilising a diverse, spread out community, which totals around 100 people. Parties, workshops and other social events take place in the apartment’s sizeable living room. As Alex explains to me, if you are looking for a programmer or graphic designer, you merely have to dip into Vilnyy’s talent pool and take your pick.

The encouragement of youth mobility is another way the spirit of the Maidan is being continued. All of Vilnyy’s co-living apartments are in contact with each other, via social media and hosting residents from other co-living apartments. During my stay, one young woman from the Lviv collective hitchhiked to Kyiv and spent a couple of nights on a sofa in the living room, free of charge. And should anyone wish to move to a Vilnyy co-living apartment in a different city, they would be able to do so simply by finding out if a bed is available, and then moving when they wish, as long as the other residents democratically agree. No need for deposits, contracts, or estate agents – decisions are made primarily through resident voting.

In the long run, projects like Vilnyy aim to encourage Ukraine’s young workforce to stay in the country. If Ukrainians feel there are more economic and social opportunities at home then those temptations to emigrate may fade away. The emphasis is on enhancing Ukraine’s standards from within so they can match the rest of Europe, albeit with the help from foreign investors hoping to capitalise on Ukraine’s bourgeoning creative-tech economy. However as options are limited, opportunities are concentrated to a small number of cities: mostly notably Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and Kharkiv. As their populations swell, there will be more and more incentives for Vilnyy to expand its project. Yet communication with Europe remains vital in order to develop new ideas and increase Ukraine’s impact on the continent. The country’s youth are manoeuvring through life despite the political instability bestowed upon them, unwilling to let obstacles get in their way. I can imagine similar foundations being set up across Europe, expanding the channels of communication and connecting Ukraine with the rest of Europe.  

Political turbulence

There is still concern over the recent election of the new president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose close associate Ihor Kolomoisky controls various airline companies. This may sound trivial, but the recent arrival of the low-cost flights into and out of Kyiv, such as Ryanair, has been crucial for Ukrainian travellers. Some fear Kolomoisky’s return to aviation, by using his newly-elected friend to discourage competitors and to ensure that his own interests are put first. The result could be the end of low-cost European flights in Ukraine.

Moreover, the uncertainty of Zelenskyy, with his lack of political experience and clear policy, may deter people from remaining in the country. The more resilient, understanding citizens have come to terms with the Maidan’s anti-climax, accepting the failures but still pushing forward its aims. However, if things take another turn for the worse, then the veil of optimism may just slide off, discouraging young people from staying in the country. Innovative, civil projects like Vilnyy will start to die out. They do not rely on money, but on enthusiasm and a Spartan-like mentality by those putting in the effort. But if there does not appear to be any positive outcome, many will be left wondering, what is the point?

Either way, Vilnyy has arrived at a much-needed time, acting as a uniting force in an otherwise turbulent environment. It is an example of the way Ukraine’s youth are adapting to relentless obstacles thrown their way. This is perhaps why Ukraine’s co-living spaces are so much more organic than those in London or New York. It is rooted in a desperate need for community. And in the post-Soviet, post-Maidan landscape, community could be Ukraine’s key to successfully restoring a fractured country.

Dominic Culverwell is a journalist, documentary maker and award-winning illustrator based in Berlin, reporting on post-communist Europe. He has previously curated photography exhibitions on the EuroMaidan and Donbas conflict, reported on protest art in Romania and illustrated short interviews about the war in Abkhazia. You can visit www.dominicculverwell.co.uk to see more, including a short film about Vilnyy.

co-living, Kyiv, Ukraine