It is 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, October 18, in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine. Nine powerful explosions slam into the space of three minutes, shaking the walls. Customers come out of a gas station store to scan the horizon. “It’s anti-aircraft defense”, someone advances in a hesitant tone, between the affirmation and the question. “No, these are strikes”, an employee of the service station replies immediately with assurance. “Look, we see the smoke”, shouts a third, pointing to two plumes of dust rising rapidly at an angle into the sky. The question is settled. Two clients photograph quickly with their smartphones, the others have already turned on their heels to go about their business. The morning ballet of automobiles in the streets of Kharkiv continues as if some terrifying event had not just taken place.
The second city of Ukraine, located in the northeast of the country, is bombarded by Russian missiles fired from the bordering region of Belgorod. It has become a gray banality for this major industrial center, which, until the Russian invasion in February, was a bastion of Russian-speaking culture with a population of one million. Industry has come to a halt, a third of the city has fled, and many of those who remain – especially those under 30 – prefer to speak Ukrainian, out of disgust with the neighbor.
“The Russians missed their shot today, no electricity or energy infrastructure was affected”explain to World in a weary tone Serhii Magdysiouk, director of the communal services department for the Kharkiv region. The man has his work cut out for him. “At home, the Russians have been trying to demolish the infrastructure since the beginning of August. They primarily target electrical substations. Four were destroyed, including a very important one. They also target high voltage lines and power stations. »
Kharkiv regularly suffers power cuts, and localities in the east of the region, recently liberated but still close to the front, have neither electricity nor gas. “There are 1.3 million people left in the region, and all are at risk of being without gas and electricity this winter,” sadly admits the manager. According to him, Ukraine’s Western allies could help by providing transformers. “They can easily be brought here by rail. Thanks to their mobility, the transformers can be moved quickly in case of danger. »
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