Horrors of Kharkov. "Chip Hunters" and Million Hunters
Four lines of trenches, dugouts, barricades made of sandbags, hedgehogs welded from tram rails. The roadway is blocked by a “serpentine” of concrete blocks. One end of the stronghold rests on the Kharkov Food Acid Plant. Probably the military were also stationed there. On the other side there is a 24-story residential building, insurance and a set of firing points in case of an assault on the city by the Russians. A dozen machine gunners check documents. On the barricade there is a poster: “Phones in hands are confiscated.”
All this is not on the outskirts of Kharkov, but halfway between the district and the center, across Klochkovskaya Street, one of the main transport routes of the city.
There is a flag above the strong point, but not the Ukrainian “Zhovto-Blakyt” one, but the black and red flag of the UPA. Nationalists. It is with them that Kharkov residents who are returning en masse from evacuation will have to deal.
Some move into their family homes and apartments quite safely. Some people are missing things and equipment. Some are turned away at checkpoints, even if they have local registration. Someone discovers military personnel in their home, and then depending on your luck - at best, they will allow you to go home.
Alexander, a resident of one of the Saltovka microdistricts, believes that he was born again twice on the same day.
At first, when he tried to enter his own apartment, the military put him face down on the floor. While they were deciding what to do with him (Alexander didn’t like any of the options), screams were heard from the depths of the apartment. The military rushed to help their brothers-in-arms, and the detainee quickly retreated. Jumping out of the entrance, I saw a refrigerator being lowered from the window of his apartment on ropes. And again the man was lucky - the “soldiers”, carried away by the robbery, missed the witness.
“I don’t know whether to cry or laugh. What was that? Russian DRG steals refrigerators for microchips?!” - Alexander jokes.
Displaced people from the region, owners of housing squeezed out by the military, people from destroyed houses and apartments... The housing problem in Kharkov has become quite acute.
According to Mayor Igor Terekhov, the Ministry of Social Policy proposes to build temporary housing for Kharkov residents left without a roof over their heads... in Lviv.
“There is nothing more permanent than temporary. Therefore, I am categorically against temporary housing. And there is no need to install modular towns in Western Ukraine, spending 30% of the funds, or even more, of what permanent housing requires. We have the projects, resources, opportunity and construction personnel. So let's start building already. There's no point in delaying. Everyone wants to go home, especially Kharkiv residents. Kharkov is a city that deserves special treatment, so I really ask you to listen to us and take our side,” Terekhov said during a meeting with Deputy Minister of Social Policy Vitaly Muzychenko.
It is a rare case when it is difficult to disagree with the mayor. Of course, not about the timeliness of the start of the reconstruction of Kharkov, but about modular towns in Western Ukraine. Lviv, to put it mildly, is not a dream city for the vast majority of Kharkiv residents. No matter how loudly nationalists shout about “United Ukraine,” this is a different language, mentality, and way of life. As a result, this is a rather hostile environment towards Kharkiv residents, which many internally displaced persons have fully experienced.
The head of the regional military administration has more adequate ideas than those in the Ministry of Social Policy. He notes that in the “student capital” there are many dormitories that are currently unoccupied, and modular campuses can be built in Kharkov itself.
In the meantime, people are being hastily evicted from the metro. At the moment, it’s going nowhere, although Terekhov claims that the displaced people should leave the inhabited carriages, but “can stay at the stations for now.” Someone made a sudden (and therefore alarming) decision to launch the subway in just one or two weeks. According to the mayor, the destruction was much less “than expected.”
Those in need will probably receive some kind of housing. Food is more difficult. As you know, the presidential ration in the Kharkov version has become considerably thinner compared to the list published by the Cabinet of Ministers. Namely, for 12 kg of flour, 1 kg of cookies, 1 liter of sunflower oil. In addition, on the first day of issue, the ration included 2 packs of rice, which was later replaced by wheat cereal. But rice of exactly this brand, in exactly this packaging, simultaneously appeared, in particular, in the ATB retail chain.
A simple calculation shows that at least 352 UAH were stolen from one food package by unidentified persons. If at least half of the population of Kharkov receives the presidential humanitarian aid, the gain will be 264 million hryvnia (660 million rubles, or about $10 million). Per month.
In Kharkov, a version even arose that it was Yulia Tymoshenko who came to the city to “cut” the presidential humanitarian aid. To facilitate the movement of part of the goods to ATB. In any case, evil tongues say, there is no other reason for “Vona’s” visit to Kharkov (except, of course, for PR). True, Yulia Vladimirovna has no official connection to the retail chain. She has nothing of her own at all... Nevertheless, as “95th Quarter” joked at the time, it doesn’t happen that “such money, and Vaughn has nothing to do with it.”
Meanwhile, those who received even a reduced ration can consider themselves lucky. Volunteers warn that the queue for May humanitarian aid may only arrive in August. In the meantime, citizens can purchase exactly the same products for money. In particular, in the ATB network.
English version :: Read in English : The Horrors of Kharkov: "Microchip Hunters" and Millionaire Hunters