The second-biggest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, is 30 kilometers from the Russian border. Under siege by Russian troops for more than six months, the city suffered major damage but never fell. Russians are amassing troops across the border once more. Ballistic missiles hit the city more often, and Kharkiv is reinforcing its defense lines. Residents say they’re prepared for a new invasion, but the past haunts the future of its residents.
In War-Torn Kharkiv, Residents Brace for Uncertain Future
- By Yan Boechat
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Olga says at least one room of her house wasn’t affected by the shrapnel from the bombs that fell around the building where she lives with her husband and their dog in Kharkiv, Feb. 15, 2023.
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At least 500 buildings in Kharkiv are so damaged that they cannot be repaired. At least 150,000 people lost their homes in the city, Feb. 15, 2023.
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A soldier observes Ivan, no surname given, commander of one of the defensive lines around Kharkiv, Feb. 17, 2023.
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A soldier leaves a bunker inside a maze of trenches in one of the defensive lines built around Kharkiv, Feb. 17, 2023.