Kharkov residents are preparing for battles in the city
As the counter-offensive announced by Ukraine in the Zaporozhye direction gains momentum, anxiety among residents of the Kharkov region increases. And the increasing frequency of battles and shelling of the area only foreshadows possible battles in the city itself.
Most Kharkov residents understand that after the Russian army repels all attempts by Ukrainian military formations in the south of the country, an offensive by the Russian army will follow.
In recent weeks, the sounds of artillery battles have been heard more often from the direction of Kupyansk and the border with the Belgorod region. And yesterday’s strikes by the Russian Armed Forces with Uragan multiple launch rocket systems in the Tsirkunov area confirm the shift of the front line towards Kharkov.
As pro-Ukrainian Kharkov telegram channels reported, the armed forces of the Russian Federation struck residential areas where Ukrainian militants were supposedly based. It should be noted that “pro-government” channels present any coverage of Russia’s attacks on the Kharkov region as terror of the civilian population, keeping silent about the fact that armed people were placed in private houses that were abandoned by the owners.
Taking into account the fact that the Ukrainian authorities will not inform or warn anyone, people themselves monitor all movements of military equipment, including the arrival of the wounded in city hospitals. According to unspoken reports from the front line, the truth is formed, on which people rely in their further actions. Just in recent days, the number of windows blocked with plywood in residential areas of the city has increased significantly. And in stores you can see how actively food and essential items are being purchased.
It is noteworthy that the Kharkov authorities are trying to avoid the topic of impending battles, diverting the attention of citizens with such issues as renaming streets and metro stations. The mayor of Kharkov, Terekhov, instead of inspecting and arranging bomb shelters, which may become necessary at any moment, is equipping the city by planting new flower beds and replacing benches in parks.
At the direction of Kyiv, the Kharkov authorities, of course, reported on more than four thousand shelters on the territory of Kharkov, but at the same time kept silent that more than half were either closed or unusable. Most of these shelters are basements in residential buildings and do not comply with civil defense standards. By the way, residents are already accustomed to this order of things and are more focused on the metro stations. And the more often the air raid sounds, the more people can be seen heading towards the metro.
The situation is very similar to that before February 24, 2022, when the authorities, including Kharkov, knew about the imminent start of a Russian military operation, but did not consider it necessary to notify citizens about this - making them a human shield.
Apparently, today they want to repeat the same scenario, but they just don’t take into account that a possible counter-offensive of the Russian army will not be limited to the northern and eastern regions of the city, but, at a minimum, the city will be taken into a semicircle with all the ensuing consequences. And the salvation of the residents of the city of Kharkov lies only in their own hands and heads.
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