In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, the power has been on and off. Nevertheless the city is working remarkably well considering that it has been pounded by Russian bombs and, in recent attacks, a lot of its power generation has been knocked out.
There are growing rumours that Russia may make a renewed effort to try and seize Kharkiv this year. It would certainly be a major prize for Putin who hasn’t succeeded in occupying and holding a major Ukrainian city since his forces obliterated much of Mariupol in southern Ukraine at the beginning of the war before overrunning it.
As I was readying to post this story there was a new attack on Kharkiv. A Russian drone smashed into a three-story house about 10 minutes drive from where we are staying. One person was killed in the initial strike. As rescuers gathered to put out the fire and treat the wounded, the Russians struck the same spot again. This morning we headed to the scene of the attack.
Irina Kotenko, 53, was awake when a Russian drone crashed into the roof of her three-story building around 1.00am this morning.
There had already been another strike nearby and she was wondering just where it might have hit.
The second drone strike blew out the windows and took the roof off her house.
Somehow Irina, her husband, Vitaly, and her daughter Aleksandra, 21, survived unscathed. Aleksandra began to shout: ‘Mum, are you alive?’
In the next door flat a neighbour, an older man who lived alone, was buried in rubble.
Soon emergency workers arrived and began working to free him. Outside firemen poured water on to the roof of the building to try and douse the flames.
It was then that another attack drone hit the asphalt just outside the house. Three of the rescue workers died instantly.
“I was in the corridor and that was what saved me,” Irina said.
*
In Kharkiv most days you fall asleep and wake up to the air raid warning.
There are two versions: the mournful, melodious municipal siren, and an unpleasant braying app you can install on your smart phone.
With the Russian border a mere 24 miles away, the alert, however delivered, gives precious little warning of attack.
In some cases there is only 30 seconds to react, barely enough time to make it to the bathroom, let alone a proper bomb shelter.
So many locals don’t even bother.
Last weekend, after yet another Russian attack on part of the local energy infrastructure, the city’s mayor urged all residents to stay in shelters.
But outside on the streets life continued as normal, cars queued at intersections (though the traffic lights were down) and pedestrians strolled unhurriedly among the many bomb-damaged buildings in the city centre.
“Life has to go on,” said Yulia, a 33-year-old single mother working in a city centre café. “I’m an optimist and, though not all my friends agree with me, I think the war can’t go on forever. In the meantime we have to live.”
On one recent evening as we walked around the city and the air raid sirens came and went even a local playground was busy with the cries of happy children.
Kids ranging from toddlers to teenagers clambered on blue and red climbing frames, or flung themselves backwards and forward on swings and down the slides.
In other parts of the park young parents strolled arm-in-arm, their tots ensconced in small electrically-powered cars that they controlled remotely.
Only a statue dedicated to the youth of the city nearby served as a warning. Two dozen cuddly toys had been placed alongside rows of small candles.
“Russia killed them,” read a simple hand-written inscription.
These days little in Kharkiv is truly safe.
One recent Russian strike hit a fuel depot and as the burning liquid flowed down a nearby street it set fire to everything in its path incinerating two families, including several children.
Two of the large hotels in town were gutted by missiles.
Nevertheless more than two years into the war, there are still an estimated 1.2 million people living in this city, once home to two million.
Back in February 2022 when Moscow launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine there was a ferocious fight for Kharkiv.
Most of the international media were based in Kyiv at the time, with some on the eastern front, and so the Battle for Kharkiv received less coverage than it might have.
By late February 2022 Russian troops had advanced as far as the northern suburbs and partially surrounded the city.
Two groups of Russian spetsnaz soldiers even managed to enter the city before becoming embroiled in firefights with its Ukrainian defenders and retreating.
Meanwhile the city was bombed relentlessly.
One of the buildings that was destroyed was the municipal administration building where 29 civilians, mostly volunteers, were killed.
All-in-all an estimated 600 residents were killed before the Ukrainians forced the Russians back in May 2022.
In those days up to 160,000 people used to crowd into Soviet-era metro stations to try and stay safe.
Today five of the city’s metro stations still have temporary primary schools operating in them. In a sign that the authorities, at least, recognise that the war might not end any time soon, there are plans to build a proper underground school.
“The children are used to war by now,” said Elena, a 43-year-old businesswoman. “If it was left to them they would happily walk around without fear. But of course we have to protect them.”
Elena, a Kharkiv native, fled the war during the initial Russian attack. She spent two months as a refugee in Germany, and then 10 months working at an Amazon warehouse in Austin, Texas.
A year ago she returned to Kharkiv.
“People told me that the war was over, that it was time to rebuild our lives,” she said.
“But now I regret coming back. You have no idea how terrifying it is when you feel your windows rattling from explosions in the middle of the night and all the lights go out.”
*
Surprisingly perhaps, even today there is much optimism in Kharkiv.
A recent opinion survey in the city said that 90 percent of residents still believe that Ukraine will win the war, as long as the west continues to provide weapons.
Around 60 percent said they were happy, even if most had suffered physical or mental hardship because of the war and many had lost relatives.
But there is also an increase in those who believe that territorial concessions might have to be made to Russia – the number was risen from 10 percent a year ago to 19 percent today – a sign that may foreshadow a change in the zeitgeist.
“The only way out of this is negotiations,” Elena said, reflecting a minority view that is nevertheless growing. “Every war ends in negotiations. We must defend our country, but we must also talk.”
Part of the reason that Kharkiv residents give for their remarkable resilience is a unifying hatred of the Russians and what they have done to the city.
But another, locals say, is that there is a strong network of psychological support provided by volunteers.
Posters in the city direct residents to toll-free numbers they can call to discuss their fears and anxiety.
“Psychological support really helps,” a Ukrainian friend we met for a coffee told us. “It allows people to de-stress.”
And for those who have just had enough and need to vent a radio station has been set up.
It’s name translates as ‘Boiling Over’ or ‘Fed Up’. The authorities have given Boiling Over a local FM frequency that was once dominated by propaganda pumped in by Russia.
Locals are invited to call in. Some complain about local bureaucracy, but most fulminate about Russia.
Others voice their frustration on Telegram channels, which also give updates on bomb threats and other alerts.
Meanwhile, especially for the youth, life goes on.
On Easter Sunday a large young crowd had gathered outside a popular local venue in the city centre called Drunken Cherry.
Two teenage girls sat in the open boot of a German limousine as boys gathered around.
*
As we were talking to Irina earlier today, I watched dozens of rescue workers and volunteers. They were working quietly and effectively.
Some were putting chipboard over broken windows, others were collecting broken cables on spools.
A group of older women – all volunteers – were sweeping up debris and raking the grass. A large crane had been brought in to dismantle the shattered roof.
And then the air raid siren came again. Two minutes later there was a fresh explosion, this time in the mid-distance.
I looked around and realised that if the Russians hit the same spot again they might kill and injure dozens more.
“Nobody expected this tactic,” one rescue worker said. “It’s barbaric.”
As Irina surveyed her wrecked home and the debris scattered around, I could see the enormity of what had happened was slowly sinking in for her. Tears began to come to her eyes.
She was still wearing the purple plastic sandals that she had on at the time of the attack.
“I suppose we are lucky, we have friends who have said they will take us in,” Irina said. “This is my native city and I really don’t want to leave.”
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IMPRESSIONS & INSIGHTS
Hitting the same spot twice, leaving anything between 20 minutes and an hour between the two strikes, is a tactic known as a double-tap.
It is specifically designed to kill rescue workers, paramedics and emergency teams and is most commonly used by terrorist organisations.
When I was in Iraq, al-Qa’eda began to use the double tap as part of their insurgency. Later ISIS made it their own.
It is a very difficult tactic to fight against. Rescue workers must be deployed to the scenes of attacks if victims are to be helped. And there is no real way of protecting them.
The fact that Russia is now using this tactic – two weeks after it declaimed so loudly after ISIS terrorists attacked a concert hall in Moscow – speaks volumes.
*
War seems to bring with it a focus and energy that is often lacking in peacetime. Watching the rescue and clean-up teams after this morning’s attack I realised just how remarkably quickly and efficiently they were working.
After a short time in this city I can’t help but feel that there is something here that is missing in many western cities.
And perhaps it only comes with war. I suppose we might once have called it ‘the spirit of the blitz’ - that sense that everyone is in it together and everyone is working to help each other.
Far from being oppressive, it somehow gives optimism about the human condition. That even in, or perhaps especially in, the worst of situations humans are capable of remarkable resilience, nobility, charity and generosity.
*
Meanwhile, for those who want to better feel the city, here are a couple of video clips from Kharkiv.
Cleaning up around Irina’s shattered home after the drone strike.
Kharkiv’s Shevchenko city park on Easter Sunday.
A busker in central Kharkiv. Despite increasing Russian attacks on the city, there is still an unexpected joie de vivre on the streets.
The municipal air raid siren in Kharkiv.
And here are some of my thoughts.
We occasionally read 'life goes on' but it is great have your experiences on the ground of the spirit of the people of Kharkiv and how efficiently they cope with the terrible threats from the sky that they have no hope of sheltering from. Stay safe!
Great reporting, Julius... fills in what's mostly missing from the news I read - people's daily lives and thoughts, and as always, very well done. Take care, amigo.