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Kharkiv- More than a year has passed since the withdrawal of Russian forces from the city Kharkiv East UkraineAnd “liberating” most parts of the province that bears the city’s name, with an area of about 31.4 thousand square kilometers.
But, unlike cities Kyiv Chernihiv and Sumy, from which the Russians withdrew in the northern and central regions. Life has not returned to full normal in Kharkiv, and this seems difficult and not expected in the near term.
The visitor to the city senses this well when he approaches it, as the condition of the roads suddenly deteriorates. It seems that they are no longer a priority for the local authorities, and they often encounter vehicles and vehicles belonging to the army and volunteer teams.
A third of the population left
The scene inside the city of Kharkiv becomes clearer, as it is absent from the hustle and bustle of life and the usual traffic congestion before the war as the second largest city in Ukraine, with an area of about 350 square kilometers, with a clear decline in population numbers.
According to the Kharkiv municipality, the population officially reached 1.5 million before the war, but in reality it was estimated at about two million, with at least 500,000 people coming to the city to work from the suburbs, and among that number, about 300,000 were students. Ukrainians and foreigners.
A portion of the population returned after the “liberation” of the city in September 2022, and the total number is currently estimated – according to the municipality – at about 1.3 million people, of whom only one million are indigenous, and about 300,000 are displaced from the rest of the province, and from Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporozhye provinces. Even Kherson, who do not have enough money to migrate to or reside in more distant provinces.
Its people are in no hurry to return
It seems that the residents of the city who left it as refugees or refugees are in no hurry to return for many reasons, the most prominent of which is the continued danger, and secondly, the widespread destruction that occurred to residential neighborhoods and infrastructure.
Not a day goes by without sirens sounding in the city, warning of the bombing that has become an almost daily occurrence. According to local authorities, a state of danger was declared in the city 1,658 times during the year 2023, and it lasted a total of 54 full days.
This is in addition to the loss of large numbers of residents of their homes, as evidenced by the “Saltovka” neighborhood in its northern and old parts, which is considered one of the largest neighborhoods in Kharkiv.
Most of the buildings in the city were destroyed or damaged, to the point that wood panels were scattered everywhere, replacing broken glass in the apartments that were relatively spared.
In that neighborhood, we met the fifty-year-old woman, Valentina, who returned temporarily to ensure the safety of her apartment and ask about the neighbors. She said, “I was lucky that the building was safe. The broken window glass does not matter. The important thing is that we got out safely, and did not lose our home. I want to return, but my daughter in Kiev refuses to do so.” Fearing for me and my husband, she insisted on me staying there until the war ended.”
As for Serhiy, a man who fled from Kharkiv to the capital, Kiev, with his family before volunteering for the army, he said in a phone call with Al Jazeera Net, “My house was destroyed in the industrial district (on the road leading to… Donetsk province “I have nothing left in Kharkiv except memories. There is no point in returning now and there is no benefit.”
Although the number of residents has increased with the return of some of them and the presence of displaced people, the city remains pale and sad in conflict with reality, and signs of joy are absent even on holidays and festivals.
The streets and parks of the city center are often empty, and Horkuho Park, which is considered one of the most famous parks in Ukraine and the richest in facilities and games, seemed completely deserted, unusually, during the New Year and Christmas holidays a few days ago.
Many centers and shops are still closed or covered with wood panels, not to mention the huge popular markets in the city, which were destroyed by bombing fires and then rusted.
In a phone call, Nadia, a Ukrainian woman who fled Kharkiv as a refugee to Canada, said, “I had a clothing store and a warehouse in the city’s Barbashov market (one of the largest and most famous markets in Ukraine), but everything burned down and there is no room for a new beginning. Trade is slow, and people suffer from poverty.” “I think I will stay in Canada and start a new life there.”
“Persuasion” efforts falter
The local authorities are making great and clear efforts to limit the repercussions of the war, and to convince the residents that the wheel of life is moving again in the city. You see them racing against time after each bombing to remove its remnants, and rushing to proudly publish this on social media sites.
Projects have begun in the city to remove the rubble, rebuild and restore some homes and buildings, but they are stalled due to the continued bombing. The authorities also provide monthly sums of money to those affected, and this applies to the residents of Kharkiv and other cities in general.
Public transportation was also declared free in Kharkiv months ago (metro, tram, regular and electric buses), and the local administration distributes daily meals to about 58,000 people, in addition to widespread activity in the city by volunteer and other service teams.
This succeeded in making Kharkiv a destination for about 300,000 displaced people, but it did not convince all those displaced from it to return, and the reason, as it was, was the lack of security and the destruction of homes in the first place, so the administration’s initiatives turned into “social programmes” aimed at helping the needy residents of the original city and those displaced there.
The administration seems helpless regarding the return of about 300,000 students. In fact, the issue is not even on the table with the continued closure of all universities and residences and the families’ fear for their children.
Fear and anticipation are the masters of the situation in Kharkiv, and the circulation of news, rumors and expectations dominate people’s conversations everywhere within it, regardless of messages of reassurance and confirmation that things are under control, as official authorities broadcast at a steady pace about the situation in the city and the province.
The public remains concerned about an increase in the pace of bombing of the city, especially with the expected decline in Western support in 2024. They also fear a new ground invasion that will return Kharkiv to square one of war, especially since it is only 40 kilometers away from the border with Russia.
