Kharkiv- The city of Kharkiv is located in eastern Ukraine. It is the second largest Ukrainian city after the capital, Kiev, and one of the most important and most bombed, despite more than a year having passed since its “liberation,” especially since it is approximately 40 km from the border with the province. Belgorod In Russia, where the bombing often comes.
In a secret location in the city, far from government department buildings that have been closed since the beginning of the war, and hours after they were bombed by 4 missiles last Monday morning, Al Jazeera Net interviewed the mayor. Kharkiv city Ihor Terekhov, about the situation in the city and in the eastern province that bears its name.
“under control”
The sound of explosions resulting from the bombing was heard by all residents of the city, which has an area of about 350 square kilometers, and this prompts Terekhov to admit that “the situation in Kharkiv is difficult,” while affirming in return that it is “under control.”
He says, “The city is being bombed on a daily basis, and the bombing on it is hitting residential neighborhoods, vital infrastructure, and transportation facilities. This creates a lot of burdens, but it does not prevent the work of rescue teams and emergency services, which do not stop efforts to repair the damage as quickly as possible.”
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Terekhov adds, “The situation around the province near the border with Russia is difficult, but not critical. Our forces repel the Russian enemy's attempts to advance, and do not allow him to do so; the latter responds by trying to bomb the positions of the Ukrainian forces, just as he always does.”
He points out that “the pace of bombing of the city has increased recently, just as happened with other Ukrainian cities. This was expected from the Russian aggressor with the intensification of the cold (temperatures dropped in Kharkiv to below 15 degrees below zero), but it does not cause any panic, nor It affects the service supplies of electricity, water, and heating, and therefore does not affect living conditions as it did last year.”
The effects of the bombing are unmistakable in Kharkiv, as they are present in all of its nine neighborhoods, and its repeated targeting prompts a question about why the city is not protected like the capital, Kiev, and others, by virtue of its location and importance, especially with Ukraine obtaining various air defenses from Western countries.
Terekhov answers, “It is not true to say that the city is protected much less than others; however, we hope that there will be more air defenses, as Kharkiv is often bombed with missiles.”S300“(Which are primarily air defense missiles, but are also used to strike ground targets).”
He continues, explaining, “Due to the geographical location close to Russia's Belgorod, these missiles reach their targets within only 40 seconds. This is why we need defenses capable of efficiently intercepting these missiles, especially since they follow a ballistic path that is difficult for the available defenses to deal with.”
Terekhov says, “Many of the city’s landmarks were destroyed or damaged due to the war, especially in the city center. This includes all the buildings that are considered architectural masterpieces in themselves. Perhaps the most prominent landmarks are: the Korolenko Library, the Art Museum, and a number of churches, in addition to the University.” “Karazina”, the ancient building in Ukraine and the world, and the “Dergprom” building (Palace of Industry).
Demographic changes
All of this was reflected in the city’s demography and the numbers and nature of the population in a way that was felt by everyone who knew and lived in Kharkiv. Mayor Terekhov comments on this, saying, “Before the war, the population of Kharkiv officially reached 1.5 million people, but it was not accurate, because large numbers of the population were You come to the city from the rest of the cities and villages of Kharkiv province during working days, and leave during the weekend. Therefore, we estimate that Kharkiv had about two million people before the war, including about 300 Ukrainian and foreign students.”
He continues, “After the liberation of the city in September 2022, part of the city's population returned to it, and the total number is currently estimated at about 1.3 million people, of whom only 1 million are indigenous people, and about 300,000 people are displaced from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhya and even Kherson provinces.” Those who do not have enough money to migrate to more distant provinces and reside there.”
To help these and other indigenous residents of the city, Terekhov says, “The city administration implemented several social projects. For example, it decided that government transportation would be completely free, and this includes the metro, tram, and regular and electric buses.”
He continues, “The daily meals program was also implemented, which is distributed to the needy for free, benefiting about 58,000 people, and within a year, approximately 10 million meals were distributed.”
Empty universities
Regarding the identity of the city, which over the decades was “the city of universities and institutes,” the mayor points out that “universities and institutes closed their doors, switched to a distance learning system, and were never without their staff, even if some of them were forced to emigrate or take refuge in other countries.” “.
He added, “Kharkiv was a city of science and education, due to its many universities and the number of students. We regret that the city today is devoid of them and foreign students, which today is considered a strange phenomenon in it, due to the war.”
A few days ago, the bombing destroyed one of the facilities of a government medical complex in the city, something that has been repeated since The beginning of the war On February 24, 2022, the city’s mayor commented that “the war destroyed large numbers of government and private hospital buildings and facilities, and these are among the reasons that prompted large numbers of patients to become displaced and seek refuge.”
But Terekhov stressed that “from the beginning of the war until the present day, medical institutions have not witnessed a shortage of materials, medicines, and personnel. Rather, they have been a model of resilience for others,” he said.
