Andrii Moroz, a native of Kyiv, who was returning from work in the evening one day, drew the wrong ticket and became a hostage of modern realities.

"It was at the very beginning of emergency shutdowns.

My wife and I live on the 13th floor.

I went home, saw through the window that a better place in the parking lot had become available, and decided to go down to rearrange the car.

It was six o'clock in the evening, the lights had only recently been turned on, and according to the schedule, the power outage should have been from 9 p.m.

So, I had no idea that I could get stuck in an elevator.

However, I only got to the 8th floor when the elevator stopped.

I realized that I was in a dead concrete well.

The phone doesn't work, there is no speakerphone," Andrii recalls.

In many high-rise buildings, there is no mobile communication in the elevators.

In addition, not all elevators have a button for emergency communication with the dispatcher.

So, since the electricity can be turned on in 4-6 hours, you need to follow a certain algorithm of actions.

If you do not have a phone with you or there is no mobile connection, try to call for help from neighbors who are passing by and ask them to call rescuers.  

"It wasn't the first time in my life that I got stuck in an elevator, so I didn't panic.

The landing on which the neighbors can walk is separate from the elevator, and the mine is deaf and no one would have heard me.

I waited for my wife to realize I was stuck, or for someone from that floor to walk by the elevator.

Therefore, in modern realities, I advise that when you get into the elevator, someone should know about it - relatives or the concierge, - advises Andrii.

- Twenty minutes later, I hear someone calling from above: "Andryusha, are you here?".

I decided that it was the concierge, because in this mine you can't distinguish voices.

"Do you know the phone number of the person on duty, who to call?"

- a voice from above asks me.

"I don't know," I say, "but call the neighbor from such and such an apartment, he should know."

Thus began my rescue operation.

And I sat on the floor and started watching a movie downloaded on my phone."

Andriy Alla's wife, who was waiting for her husband at home, guessed that her husband was stuck in the elevator and went to free him:

"I call from our floor, shout to the elevator - no one answers.

On the tenth floor, Andriy called.

I ask: "What floor are you on?".

He says that on the eighth, - Alla remembers.

- I found out from Andrii that it is necessary to call a neighbor who knows the phone number of the emergency service.

He summoned the master." 

If you cannot use the button to call the dispatcher, you must have the telephone number of the emergency elevator service with you.

If there is no announcement in the elevator cabin or in the entrance with the contacts of the service servicing the elevator, try to inform the condominium or housing association about it.

If the dispatcher or the emergency elevator service does not respond or is unable to come, call the "101" service. 

The elevator car is a fairly safe place in the event of a system failure.

However, not all people are able to remain calm while being in a closed space in complete darkness.

"The first thing that is absolutely necessary is not to panic.

If you understand that help may not come soon, sit on the floor, stretch your legs and lean your back against the wall.

If you feel hot, unbutton or remove your outer clothing.

If you feel sick, experience signs of dizziness, nausea, it is important to stabilize your breathing, breathing exercises are very useful here - when the inhalation is several times shorter than the exhalation.

You can try the "butterfly hug" technique: you need to cross your arms on your chest so that the right hand rests on the left shoulder, and the left hand on the right.

And start tapping your fingers in turn.

Such hugs calm and distract from bad thoughts.

It is good if you have a charged phone with games or movies with you.

This will help distract from panic and waste time.

In addition, the phone's flashlight will help you find the right thing in your bag."

Important warning: Never try to open the elevator door yourself!

The municipal security department explains why this is extremely risky: "Many elevators are equipped with door closing mechanisms that are easy to open from the outside and almost impossible from the inside.

Therefore, you should not try to open the cabin door yourself, you risk getting injured or falling into the mine.

It is also forbidden to smoke and use matches: in this way you reduce the amount of oxygen." 

"My rescue operation ended after an hour and a half," Andrii recalls.

An elevator appeared, then we had one for the entire residential complex.

I was very happy for him and I say: "Thank you, friend!".

And he said to me: "You left!"

But I did not take offense at him.

It was a Saturday evening, and he was pulled out of a banquet on the occasion of the anniversary of friends." 

Due to the fact that people are currently stuck in elevators en masse, housemates are trying to relieve each other of this extreme isolation.

Mass flash mob - leave chairs with boxes or just bags with everything you need in the elevators: water, snacks, flashlights and even books. 

"Emergency kit" in a Kyiv high-rise building

"The presence of a high chair and a rescue box is reassuring in itself," explains Iryna Pototska.

- There should be water, some kind of light snack, like cookies or nuts, wet and dry wipes, preferably a blanket, Corvalol drops or a light sedative, as well as strong garbage bags for hygiene.

It is advisable to have a charged power bank with you.

And remember that this situation is temporary, and soon you will remember it as an adventure." 

This is how the Morozov couple reacted to this excess.

Especially since the ending of the story was funny.  

"Can you imagine, I didn't recognize my wife's voice, but she organized the entire rescue operation for me!

- says Andriy.

- The light was given only in three and a half hours.

If it weren't for my wife, I would have been in the elevator for 5 hours!

When I told this story at work, my colleague joked: "Ah, when you came home, you didn't know that you had half an hour to live - you wouldn't recognize your own wife!"