--- title: "“I slept in the bathroom, protected by three walls”. Prime Minister Tofan on nights under bombardment in Kyiv" url: https://moldova1.md/p/88558/-i-slept-in-the-bathroom-protected-by-three-walls--prime-minister-tofan-on-nights-under-bombardment-in-kyiv published: 2026-10-25T15:07:00Z language: en author: "Bogdan Nigai" section: "Political" source: moldova1.md --- # “I slept in the bathroom, protected by three walls”. Prime Minister Tofan on nights under bombardment in Kyiv > Nights spent on a mattress in the bathroom, explosions near his home, and windows shattered twice by missile attacks—these are some of the experiences Vasile Tofan—currently the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova—lived through in Kyiv following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, he was in Ukraine with his family and learned of the war through a phone call around 5:00 a.m. A few days later, he brought his wife and children to the Republic of Moldova, but he kept travelling to Kyiv, where bombardments had become part of daily life. ![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/6236f771-6bcc-4397-a0ee-f01f8d4997f3.jpg) Nights spent on a mattress in the bathroom, explosions near his home, and windows shattered twice by missile attacks—these are some of the experiences Vasile Tofan—currently the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova—lived through in Kyiv following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, he was in Ukraine with his family and learned of the war through a phone call around 5:00 a.m. A few days later, he brought his wife and children to the Republic of Moldova, but he kept travelling to Kyiv, where bombardments had become part of daily life. The first hours of the invasion were marked by confusion and efforts to ensure the safety of employees at the companies he had invested in. One of the first calls received that morning concerned the evacuation of people from Kyiv. The driver of the bus hired for the transport demanded payment in cash—specifically, $1,500 was urgently needed for the departure—recounted Vasile Tofan on the "Raport" podcast. *"At 5 o'clock, the CEO of one of our companies called me—I was asleep; it was, I don't know, maybe 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning—and he said, 'The war has begun.' I honestly couldn't grasp what was happening. He explained that the bus they had hired to take employees to the west—the driver refused to accept an invoice and insisted on cash—and asked if I could quickly provide $1,500 to pay the driver so he would transport the employees. That was my very first conversation at 5:00 a.m. on February 24, 2022,"* he recounted. During the first days of the war, his family remained in Ukraine, even as Russian troops advanced toward Kyiv. About three days later, the family reached the Republic of Moldova, where his wife and children have stayed ever since. "My family was with me. We returned to Moldova in about three days. We also had a small child—he was less than a year old, just 10 months. We were a family with young children, and naturally, it was safer to be in Moldova," Tofan recounted. Alongside his efforts to protect his family, the current Prime Minister had to manage the situation regarding the companies he was involved with. These firms employed tens of thousands of people, and some operated in areas threatened by the Russian offensive. With no one knowing how the fighting would unfold, each day brought new challenges. "I remember those days—it felt as if we were all moving through a fog; we couldn't believe what was happening. You have to understand, it wasn't just about the war or the news—we had to save the companies. We had 55,000 people working for us. It felt like a dream," the Prime Minister recalled. **Nights spent on a mattress in the bathroom** Drone and missile attacks completely transformed the lives of Kyiv’s residents. People learned to monitor air-raid alerts, identify different threats, and gauge how much time they had to reach safety. This reality also became familiar to Tofan, who continued to visit the Ukrainian capital even after his family had settled in Chișinău. "Over there, this has become a routine—it has, in a sense, been routinized. People are highly adaptable; they use Telegram channels to report what is flying and where. They know that if a drone is flying, you might be able to keep sleeping—you might even choose to ignore it. If a jet-powered drone is approaching, you might pay closer attention, keep an eye on the situation, or perhaps move to a safer spot. If a Kalibr missile is incoming, you know you have another half-hour or an hour to sleep before it arrives; if it’s a ballistic missile, you have 45 seconds to find cover", the Prime Minister recounted. To reduce the risk of injury from flying debris or an explosion's blast wave, the current head of government set up a sleeping space in his apartment's bathroom. Several walls shielded the room from the outside, providing a greater sense of security. "I usually slept in the bathroom; I had a mattress there. The rule is that you need at least two walls between you and the outside to be reasonably protected—I had three, which is why I felt it was okay to sleep in the bathroom," Tofan explained. Explosions occurring near the building where his apartment is located caused damage on two separate occasions. The first incident took place in August 2025, around the time of Ukraine's Independence Day, when two ballistic missiles struck nearby. Following repairs, the home was damaged once again in 2026. On this occasion, the shattered windows also created a risk of rainwater entering the apartment. ![facebook.com/vasile.tofan](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/5f973c1d-63bf-4663-84d6-3c4a1873e746.jpg) *Sursa: facebook.com/vasile.tofan* His experiences in Ukraine have strengthened his conviction that the country’s resistance is also vital to Moldova's security. In his view, Moldovan society does not always fully understand or appreciate the sacrifices Ukrainians have made. "I truly hope that Moldovans will not forget—and will come to understand—that these people are dying there while defending us; because if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here either. It saddens me that this is forgotten all too often," stated Vasile Tofan. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since then, Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have been repeatedly attacked with missiles and drones, with the bombardments causing casualties and destruction. In the initial weeks, Russian troops attempted to capture Kyiv but were repelled by Ukrainian forces. Subsequently, Russia focused a large part of its military operations on the east and south of the country, while continuing to carry out missile and drone attacks—including against the capital and energy infrastructure. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties, massive destruction, and the displacement of millions of people.