Machine guns instead of Patriot, monuments in covers and the transition to the Ukrainian language – how Kharkov lives on the front line
Russia attacked Kharkov in the first days of a full-scale invasion and even managed to occupy part of the Kharkov region for several months. After its liberation in September 2022, the city with a population of over a million remains a frontline city, daily subjected to bombing and shelling by missiles and kamikaze drones. Journalist and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Yuriy Matsarsky, having visited his hometown, discovered that despite the shelling, Kharkov not only continues to live its own life (cafes, the metro, and even the zoo are open, only schools have switched to remote learning), but has also become more patriotic. Residents began to speak more Ukrainian, carried out an inspection of monuments (covering with covers those who are no longer respected in Ukraine) and are doing everything to help the defenders from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.