residents of Kharkiv try to “continue living” despite Russian bombings

With the return of good weather, the inhabitants of Kharkiv go out to the parks and eat ice cream despite the Russian bombings which have affected the region for two weeks.

Faced with the Russian offensive, Ukraine assured Friday 24 may have stopped the enemy assault on the Kharkiv region, underway for two weeks, and even started a counterattack. Ukraine’s second city, in the northeast of the country, remains under constant bombardment by the Russian army. On Thursday, it was hit by around fifteen missiles, which killed seven civilians.

Kharkiv, 1.3 million inhabitants before the war, was emptied of its population. Only half of the inhabitants remain, even if the authorities deny it. Those who remained tried as best they could to lead as normal a life as possible.

On sunny days, it’s in the park Taras Shevchenko, in the center of Kharkiv that families come to eat ice cream, the best in town, it seems. In the middle of flower beds and fountains, Oksana, 31, wears a wedding dress. “I’m getting married today, she exclaims, in Kharkiv the indestructible!” Her fiancé, Artem, proposed to her ten days before the start of the war. They decided not to change anything. “We wanted to wait until the war was over, and everything would be better,” explains Oksana. “But we can see that it’s not going to end right away, pursues the young woman who “don’t want to wait to live.”

“We don’t know what tomorrow will bring! Maybe we won’t be here anymore…”

Oksana, 31 years old

at franceinfo

Ruined buildings surround the park. With his Ukrainian armed forces t-shirt, military fatigues, Valentin, 44 years old, enjoys an hour of freedom with his family, before returning to the front. “There’s a rather good atmosphere here, it’s calm”he describes. “It’s not that people don’t see the war anymore, they’re just tired, they’ve gotten used to it,” he analyzes. But he said to himself “more stressed being here than being at the front”. With rollerblades on their feet, her two little daughters, Arina and Nastia, 7 and 10 years old, are taking advantage of this moment. They are looking forward to this summer so he can teach them how to swim.

A little further away, Anastasia, 17, and her friend Tatiana hug each other tenderly on a bench. “The war changed a lot of things. But sometimes you end up accepting the situation and you understand that you have to continue living”supports the teenager.

“Here, war is part of everyday life. But we still need to enjoy life a little!”

Anastasia, 17 years old

at franceinfo

Anastasia grabs her guitar and starts singing. A little moment of respite in Kharkiv, before the curfew and the next air alert.