Words and Photography by Finnbar Toesland
Design by Yosef Phelan

KYIV, Ukraine — “You can’t see inside the kitchen,” laughs Ukrainian drag queen SlayDiva Lastivka as I try to sneak a peak inside the queen’s workroom. We’ve just descended into the underground Kyiv gay bar Portum and, despite it being just 7pm, locals are already partying the night, or evening, away. 

Since Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24 2022, the whole country has been under martial law. In the capital, there’s a curfew from 1am to 5am, forcing nightlife venues to move forward opening times. The latest opening hours are 5pm, closing at 11pm sharp, leaving enough time for revellers to hurry home before curfew begins.

The drive across Kyiv to the chic Podil district, where Portum is based, is surreal. Anti-drone guns sit on the back of vehicles placed strategically across the capital, with thick anti-drone netting covering vital bridges that connect the two banks of the city.

“It's like therapy to be able to live through a day in different personalities that I create"

Before rushing off to put the finishing touches to her look, SlayDiva points out the compact stage at the end of the dance-floor where she’ll soon be performing. “It's like therapy to be able to live through a day in different personalities that I create,” she says. 

It takes a measure of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to succeed in Kyiv’s drag scene. For SlayDiva, drag gives her the feeling of relaxation. “When you do something you love, you're not working a day in your life. Basically, that's what drives me.”

Queer refuge

Glancing around the intimate dance-floor, every letter of the queer alphabet looks to be represented here. Under a backdrop of a huge screen displaying looping videos of men in different stages of undress, two young women in near matching sleek black ensembles are roaming around the dance-floor, a few older people are sipping drinks by the bar and an enthusiastic man in a pup mask is scoping out the best vantage spot for the show. The neon artwork depicting naked men with erect penises is hard to miss, too. 

This scene wouldn’t be out of place at Dalston Superstore, Vogue Fabrics or countless other queer venues in London and beyond. Of course, the reality Kyivans face is worlds apart from the safety of other European capital cities. 

Large swathes of the capital are currently lacking power, water and heating following major attacks on energy infrastructure

After regularly reporting from Kyiv for more than four years, there’s no question life in the city has deteriorated. Since early August, Russian forces have adopted a new strategy, launching practically round-the-clock jet-powered drone attacks at the capital. Large swathes of the capital are currently lacking power, water and heating following major attacks on energy infrastructure.

Any perceived protective bubble around international embassies and government buildings disappeared in an instant after a drone slammed into the National Academy of Sciences in broad daylight, killing at least two people and injuring multiple more. Shortly after, another drone tore through a nearby medical centre in the heart of the city, injuring at least seven people. 

The often horrifying events happening on a daily basis in Kyiv feel distant, dancing in the underground space at Portum, which offers a level of protection against drone assaults and falling debris, but little shelter from a ballistic missile hit. 

Non-stop pop classics boom through the club speakers, with DJ Daniv playing an eclectic mix including Taylor Swift’s 'Shake It Off', Britney Spears’s 'Gimme More', Madonna’s 'Girl Gone Wild' and Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora’s 'Black Widow'.

Drag spectacular 

A ten second countdown starts as the queens emerge from the crowd and burst onto the stage with lights shifting to deep purple. Luckily, the Ukrainian-language introduction is accompanied by a fair amount of lip-syncing and hair whipping, understandable even for someone, like me, with a scant Ukrainian vocabulary.

This feeling of true freedom is particularly special as Kyiv struggles with escalating Russian attacks

Despite the genuinely stunning show put on by the queens, it’s hard for my attention not to drift towards the crowd, who are completely absorbed by the on stage scene. This feeling of true freedom is particularly special as Kyiv struggles with escalating Russian attacks.

SlayDiva emerges wearing brown above the knee boots, a pink leopard print top, bedazzled with black crystals and faux cutouts, taking the stage by storm. A blockbuster solo lip-sync performance of 'Diamonds' by Rihanna by another drag queen is one of the highlights of the show, judging by the excited audience reaction.

Chatting with drag show regular Iryna after the performance, it’s clear this venue is popular for all the right reasons. “For me, when I go to a regular club, there are a lot of weird dudes who wanna like spike my drink or wanna introduce themselves, and I'm not really interested in that,” says Iryna. “This place is really safe and relaxing.”

You just pour out all your problems, thoughts of war, and here everything is quite the same as it was in 2018

Depending on how busy she is, Iryna tries to see one or two drag shows a month. “I really enjoy spending time with drag queens. It’s similar to playing video games because you just pour out all your problems, thoughts of war, and here everything is quite the same as it was in 2018,” she says.

Next generation

Dima and Alexander, two friends who have known each other since secondary school, stop and chat as they make their way up the stairs. “It's my first time. It was pretty interesting for me,” smiles Dima, after witnessing the drag show. “There are nice drinks here. We’re here 70% for the alcohol and 30% for the vibe."

Both of the 22-year-olds are straight, leading me to ask if the younger generation in Ukraine have a more progressive outlook towards LGBTQIA+ people than their predecessors. “I personally think we are way different because the older generation thinks it’s like forbidden for men to date men,” says Alexander.

The pair agree many in their generation hold a positive view on LGBTQIA+ acceptance. “It’s never a problem if a person likes someone of his own gender. What matters is their character, we care about what kind of person they are, not about who he dates,” he says.

While Ukrainian attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community have improved in recent years, particularly in Kyiv, it’s hardly a queer paradise. Last year, a group of masked extremists attacked the queer-friendly Sens bookshop twice and put up homophobic flyers, with other examples of anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes recorded in recent months.

In an environment where you feel any day could be your last, many queer people are embracing the time they do have to live authentically

In an environment where you feel any day could be your last, many queer people are embracing the time they do have to live authentically. It’s undeniable that an intense emotional cost has been paid by all Ukrainians, including queer people, who are living through this war.