KHARKIV, Ukraine – It’s a smoldering hot day and hundreds of people are on the sandy shores of the beach along the Kharkov River, sipping cold beers, playing card games or bobbing up and down to the sounds of music playing in the air blares. background. They seem grateful for the respite from the cool waters of the river and the relative silence of the air above.
But just miles from this ordinary summer scene, Ukrainian troops are battling the Russian army that crossed the border last month in a new offensive, and the distant sounds of landing bombs occasionally break the tranquility of the beach.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been ravaged by Russian missiles and drones since the early days of the war, and the new Russian offensive appeared to put the city firmly in the Kremlin’s crosshairs. But since a reversal from the White House last month allowed the use of American weapons to push into Russian territory just across the border, officials and residents told NBC News that a period of relative calm had begun.
Some seem to take full advantage of it.
“The situation is dangerous every day, but you have to live; we have to distract ourselves from what is going on,” said Oleksandr, 44, a meat seller who was sunbathing on the beach with his young daughter Vasylyna. “It stabilizes us psychologically a little bit.”
Just thirty kilometers from the Russian border, Moscow’s missiles reach Kharkov within seconds. That makes air raid sirens almost redundant. An acute shortage of modern air defense systems has left Ukraine unable to secure the airspace above the city, meaning the million-plus people who call the city home are particularly vulnerable.
In recent months, Russia has escalated its attacks on the city, hitting energy and civilian infrastructure heavily: cafes, gas stations, printing plants and residential buildings are among the many civilian structures hit. In the latest, and one of the deadliest, incidents, local officials said 19 people were killed and dozens injured in a strike at a hardware store on May 25.
As the Russians advanced toward Kharkov last month, Kiev’s allies in Europe and Washington gave the green light to using their weapons for limited attacks inside Russia’s border areas.
Although attacks on Kharkov and the region have continued, their pace has slowed significantly. And the ground offensive that initially moved to surrounding cities such as Vovchansk has been stopped.
That delay has made residents feel that the city is safer, at least for now, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration.
“Thanks in part to the American decision to allow the use of weapons in Russia, it is possible for people to walk on the streets,” Sinegubov told NBC News in an interview on the streets of Kharkov last week. “It has become quieter here in the city of Kharkiv.”
But it is unclear how long this period of relative calm could last.
When NBC News visited, visitors flocked to bars and restaurants in central Kharkiv, and citizens of all ages enjoyed the city’s parks.
Sirens still sound regularly through the city, but seem to provoke little response from residents, who continue with their lives. Meanwhile, the toll of 2.5 years of war is visible on every corner: buildings are damaged and mobilization posters are pasted on the walls in the center of Kharkov.
“I would say the atmosphere is intense but businesslike,” said the mayor of Kharkiv Ihor Terechov said in an interview last month. “Many people have their strings tight, but everyone carries on.”
Hospitals and public transport are functioning well, Terekhov said. Many schools have been destroyed but are still teaching online. Some now offer face-to-face classes in the city’s underground subway stations, he said, so children are protected from the shelling and learning is not constantly interrupted by air raid sirens.
Before the war, Kharkiv enjoyed “special status” in Ukraine, Terehkov said. Known as a convenient city to live in with a busy cultural life and clean streets, he explained, it has always been loved by the IT sector, youth and students. “It’s always been a young and cool place, a very creative place,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of residents fled the city after the first Russian attack in early 2022. But many have since returned and the city’s population now hovers at more than 1 million people, up from its pre-war population of about 1.4 million, Terekhov said.
But rumors have been circulating for months that Russia may want to focus on Kharkiv as its next target. A week after launching the offensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had no plans to take the city, but many residents remain on edge.
Several people told NBC News they are considering evacuating further into Ukraine if the Russians get near the city, but for now they are choosing to stay put. Others said they don’t want to leave their homes.
Elena Sukhar, who runs a pharmacy, says she is needed in Kharkov despite the dangers she faces. On the day she spoke to NBC News last month, fifteen rockets hit the city.
Still, she said there was no panic and the city continued to run, with beauty salons and even some swimming pools open to the public. “What has not been destroyed and is functional is still open,” says Sukhar (62). “People wake up, hear the air raid sirens and still go to work.”
Others were more cautious. Housewife Olha Pipko said she rarely ventures far from her home, especially during air raid sirens, which can last for several hours.
“Some people walk through the city as if nothing is wrong, but when an air siren and aviation arrives, we try to stay indoors,” says 45-year-old Pipko. But while she noticed a lull after Ukraine’s restrictions were eased, she added that she doesn’t feel safe in the city. “You don’t know if you’re going to wake up tomorrow morning or not,” she said.
This attitude is not unjustified: Russian troops have managed to get closer to Kharkov at numerous points in the conflict before being repulsed by the Ukrainian army. Still, those living in northeastern Ukraine will have been given renewed hope by comments from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, who said Ukrainian forces were “gradually driving” the Russians out of the Kharkov region. Vitaly Ganchev, the region’s Russian-appointed governor, told Russia’s state news agency Ria: “The enemy has drawn up reserves and is trying to counterattack.”
It will probably give some more peace of mind to the city’s residents.
Pipko and others have told NBC News that they are proud of their city, which they often call “reinforced concrete” — a Ukrainian pun, conveying strength and endurance of the people who live there.
“I love this sentence. Kharkov is unbreakable,” said Mayor Terekhov. “We have had to endure a lot and there will still be many challenges ahead. Yes, we are reinforced concrete,” he added. “But reinforced concrete also needs protection!”
Richard Engel and Marc Smith were in Kharkov, Yuliya Talmazan is in London and Daryna Mayer is in Kiev.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
