Whats up in a kharkiv bomb shelter
Author: s | 2025-04-23
What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter; What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter; What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter
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KHARKIV, UKRAINE, Apr 30 — On April 29, at about 6:00 p.m., the Russian army dropped two bombs in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv, hitting the ground near an animal shelter and a residential area. A 42-year-old man was injured due to the Russian shelling. Fragments of a Russian bomb dropped on April 29 at the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara Media There is information that the Russians attacked the city with UMPB-D30, modified glide bombs.Windows were smashed in nearby residential buildings. In total, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, the Russian attack damaged six houses.City workers will cover the windows with wooden panels and then install new ones.Smashed windows in a house next to the hit site in Kharkiv / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaA volunteer replaces broken windows in a shelter after a Russian attack on April 29/ Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaBoth Russian bombs hit a few dozen meters from the premises rented by the NGO Kharkiv Animal Rescue.Animal shelter / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara Media They [premises] are intended to temporarily accommodate dogs and puppies evacuated from the war zone, the organization’s representative, Yaryna Vintoniuk, told Gwara Media.Dogs in their cages after Russian shelling on April 29/ Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaThere was a “shift change” at the shelter during the strikes. Some of the staff had already gone home, but according to the shelter’s administrator, Tetiana Pasenok, up to 12 people were in the building at the time of the attack.Valentyn, one staff member, was injured. He was walking home when the bombs hit nearby. The blast wave smashed the windows in the building, and one of the glass fragments hit the man in the thigh.Shelter administrator Tetiana Pasenok / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaThere is information that none of the animals were injured, but they are under severe stress.“We are glad it [a bomb] did not hit the premises. This is the second time the windows have been broken [in the shelter]. We see that Russia does not spare anyone — neither people nor animals,” said Yaryna Vintoniuk.A dog in a cage after Russian shelling on April 29/ Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaThis is the second time when the Russians attack hit near the Kharkiv Animal Rescue dog shelter. The first one was on January 8, 2024.Photo credits: Dogs in their cages after Russian shelling on April 29 / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaRead also: In Photos: Day after Russians bombed one village in Kharkiv region If you have found an error, highlight the necessary fragment and press Shift + Enter. Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, UkraineMost important stories from the frontline region Latest newsRead Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Federal Election Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Puzzles Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Travel Deals Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Tech Style & Beauty Kitchen & Dining Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Deals More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.PMN NewsPMN PoliticsA Kharkiv bomb shelter: the only home baby Zhenia has knownAuthor of the article:Published Oct 14, 2022 • 2 minute read You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.KHARKIV — Wide-eyed and gripping a stuffed blue rabbit, six-month-old Zhenia settles into his pram before being walked along a Kharkiv factory forecourt – a treat to be savored for someone who has lived in a bomb shelter since he was born.Pushing the buggy is his mother, 39-year-old Olha Shevchenko. Seven months pregnant when the war broke out on Feb 24, her house in the Ukrainian village of Prudyanka was destroyed by shelling that same morning.“We were woken up at five in the morning by the sound of bombs. At 6 a.m. the suburban trains stopped running, so we could not leave,” she told Reuters.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLESEnjoy the latestWhats up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter for Windows
Local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsFearing that advancing Russian troops would soon reach her home, lying north of Kharkiv some 20km (12 miles) from the border, she eventually managed to escape in a neighbor’s car with her two older sons, Nikolay, 17 and Andriy, 16.When they reached Ukraine’s second city she rejoined her husband Evgen and, offered a refuge in the shelter underneath the factory where he works, they moved in.Nikolay and Andriy left for Poland last month, where friends helped arrange accommodation and schooling for them. But the rest of the family remains in the brick and concrete surroundings that, for Olha, have a disconcerting familiarity.“I knew this bomb shelter because when I was a little girl I saw it with my grandpa. I asked him what it was for and he said ‘For when the war comes but hopefully you will never have to see it again’. Well, now I have,” she said, with a rueful smile.Zhenia was born in a nearby maternity hospital some two months after they moved in.“The following day in the afternoon we checked out of hospital to come here,” Olha added, cradling her baby as they sat on a bed inside the bunker.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.With renewed shelling of Kharkiv making it increasingly dangerous for them to be outside, the family have worked hard to make the shelter as liveable as possible.It is linked to the power grid and equipped it with basic cooking facilities, food, books, toys and. What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter; What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter; What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelterWhat's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter - ดาวน์โหลด
– one-time guests at the hotel, checking she was OK. Russians hit the building, she says, because they claimed there were important decisions being taken by people inside. In fact, Olha says, there were only civilians in the building – mostly journalists and people preparing to celebrate New Year with their families. “This hotel has been my life’s work,” she says. “Peace will come, and guests will return to Kharkiv.” Matviy Kolotay is 15 years old and his favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo. It is an opinion widely held among the boys of the academy of FC Metalist Kharkiv, who have piled into a small room after Saturday training to watch the first team in action against Hirnyk Sport. Matviy has been with the club since 2021 but he amazes us when he explains that while he lives in Kharkiv, his family lives in Kremenchuk, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) away in the safer center of the country. “My parents are worried for me, but the main thing is that I am playing football,” he says. The war is not something he likes to talk about. “Me-ta-list! Me-ta-list!” the boys roar. They are led by Mikhaylo Galushko, one of the coaches. Every club needs a man like him. Someone to get the chant going, a man who claps his hands together with such force you can feel the audio peaking inside your head. FC Metalist play their games in Uzhhorod, the farthest point you can get from Kharkiv without leaving Ukraine. It takes more than a day to get there on the train. The boys shout at the screen like football supporters everywhere, appealing every dodgy decision by the referee. “Even in this difficult time, the children come here, and we give them the attention they deserve. Thanks to sport, thanks to our attention, they are distracted [from the war] and forget about everything that is going on,” Galushko says. It is no easy task. An air raid siren the day before had lasted the entire day and all training was canceled. If the alarms go off halfway through a session, the boys are taken to the bomb shelter. The banter resumes the moment they are inside. “All conversations are turned into jokes, so the boys are not afraid.” We tell Galushko that one of the CNN team supports English football club Everton. “Ah, you remember, the match?” he says, referring to a UEFA Cup tie between the teams in 2007. “We let you win!” Had he at any point thought of leaving Ukraine in the last two years? “We never went anywhere. When the war started, my younger son was at a tournament in Poltava. While everyone was leaving The RuMoD extensively captured in a video the bomb’s loading, carriage, release, flight and final target engagement in explicit detail.Almost a month after it released footage of the massive 2,993 kg FAB-3000 bomb strapped with the UMPK (Universal Module for Planning and Correction) glide kit striking a land target in Kharkiv, Russia now officially published a video of the bomb and its launching Su-34 aircraft in action. The RuMoD (Russia Ministry of Defense) extensively captured in a video the bomb’s loading, carriage, release, flight and final target engagement in explicit detail.The RuMoD extensively captured in a video the bomb’s loading, carriage, release, flight and final target engagement in explicit detail.RuMoD video and claimsA closer look at the videoThe UMPK it applied to the FAB-3000 represents an evolution of Russian air launched munitions employed on Ukrainian land targets, which began with the kit being applied to the FAB-500 last year and later to the FAB-1500. The Soviet-era FAB-3000, whose production restarted earlier this year, was designed only for bombers and the Tu-22M3 was the only one currently in service which could employ it, until the Su-34 video emerged.On a different note, the Su-34 is also seen carrying what appear to be other gliding munitions on hardpoints under the left wing. These resemble the D-30SN glide bombs that appeared in May, which are closer in design and purpose to the US-made GBU-39 SDB (Small Diameter Bomb) employed by UkRAF MiG-29s and Su-27s.russian killers announced the launch of the super-powerful FAB3000 in Ukraine.Thanks to Biden and his insane ban on attacking russian airports, they can launch from just behind the front lines.If this bomb falls on a hospital or supermarket, both favorite targets of russian… pic.twitter.com/1xbyUrVgZr— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) July 14, 2024RuMoD video and claimsThe RuMoD video showed the massive bomb being lifted on a pulley chain, and after being mounted on the centerline forward hardpoint of the Su-34, is checked during the pre-flight inspection by the pilot. Various angles – recorded from other unknown aircraft – show the bomb being released, as well as a part of its ‘gliding’ journey.The RuMoD statement describing the video said: “A Su-34 fighter-bomber crew struck at a temporary deployment point of the AFU with the FAB-3000 aerial bomb in the area of responsibility of the Sever Group of Forces.” The Sever (Russian for North) Group of Forces, whose existence was first mentioned a few months ago, is known to operate in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.“The strike was carried out with the FAB-3000 aerial bomb with a universal planning and the correction module,” added the RuMoD. “After successfully completing the flight mission, the crew returned safely to the departure airfield. According to the results ofWhat s up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter -
Woman reads in an underground metro station used as bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine. A young woman reads in an underground metro station used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 2. A woman prepares her sleeping spot at one of the metro stations in Kyiv, Ukraine. A woman prepares her sleeping spot at one of the metro stations in Kyiv on March 13. Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images When Russian missiles started falling on Kyiv again in October, the Kyiv Metro had adapted to concurrently run trains and function as a shelter. In August, prerecorded announcements started blasting through the stations during air raid alerts, warning that the metro “now operates as a shelter” and that trains service only underground stations. In October, about 500,000 people rode the Kyiv Metro every day, according to Brahinskyi, the head of the transit system, a sharp decrease from the nearly 1.5 million people who used it daily before the war, but still a sizable number.Though trains continue to run during air raid alarms, some rules are dropped. “I can also get in with my dog. Usually it’s not allowed,” 35-year-old Dmytro Kucher told Foreign Policy on Oct. 18, when Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv.Kucher waited out that day with a few hundred other people in the Zoloti Verona metro station, which is 95 meters below ground and decorated with intricate mosaic panels depicting the princes of medieval-era Kyivan Rus and the archangel Michael, patron saint of Kyiv. Kucher and his dog “were going for breakfast when the air raid alarm sounded,” he said. “We weren’t far from the station, so we decided to wait out the alarm here.”Kucher and his dog stood in a vestibule below the station’s first escalator—stations here are so deep they usually have multiple—with dozens of other locals, some of whom waited on folding chairs or yoga mats. Nearby televisions usually displaying ads instead showed Ukraine’s “information marathon,” a special TV broadcast set up in the war’s early days to provide Ukrainians with news about the war and safety recommendations. Another escalator down, some residents anxiously waited for the end of the air raid alarm, while others took the metro as usual. A man walks down the escalators of a the Dorohozhychi subway station turned bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine. A man walks down escalators at the Dorohozhychi metro station-turned-bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 2. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Eight months into the war, with missile attacks once again routine, the Kyiv Metro is playing a central part in keeping the city’s residents safe. “Of course it’s different now compared to Feb. 24,” Prystupa, the communications specialist, said. “Yes, I know where to go. I know where the shelters are. Yes, I have my emergency bag ready, with food and water.”“I know how to act, but the fear is still there. [During missile attacks] I can’t stay between two walls. I need to know that I can be in a place that is safe forWhat s up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter
KYIV, Ukraine—Early on the morning of Oct. 10, Svetlana Prystupa was in her apartment in southwest Kyiv when she was shaken by the loudest explosions she had heard since the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine. After grabbing a pre-packed emergency bag and rushing down nine flights of stairs, the 39-year-old communications specialist and her 15-year-old daughter, Lera, had to decide where to go: the bomb shelter inside a nearby hospital or the closest metro station. Both were just a few minutes’ walk away.“The hospital’s shelter is an excellent one, with thick concrete walls, ventilation, beds, and water,” Prystupa told Foreign Policy. “But when we got there, it turned out there was no internet or cellular network … no way to call my husband [who was stuck in traffic on the other side of town], look at social networks, or understand what was going on.” So Prystupa and her daughter went out again, this time to the Holosiivska metro station, where hundreds of people were already seeking protection from Russian missiles. KYIV, Ukraine—Early on the morning of Oct. 10, Svetlana Prystupa was in her apartment in southwest Kyiv when she was shaken by the loudest explosions she had heard since the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine. After grabbing a pre-packed emergency bag and rushing down nine flights of stairs, the 39-year-old communications specialist and her 15-year-old daughter, Lera, had to decide where to go: the bomb shelter inside a nearby hospital or the closest metro station. Both were just a few minutes’ walk away.“The hospital’s shelter is an excellent one, with thick concrete walls, ventilation, beds, and water,” Prystupa told Foreign Policy. “But when we got there, it turned out there was no internet or cellular network … no way to call my husband [who was stuck in traffic on the other side of town], look at social networks, or understand what was going on.” So Prystupa and her daughter went out again, this time to the Holosiivska metro station, where hundreds of people were already seeking protection from Russian missiles.“The [station] staff was extremely friendly and immediately told us where we could sit—you could feel it wasn’t the first time for them,” she remembered. Prystupa and her daughter stayed in the station for nearly four hours, anxiously looking at news on their phones until the air raid alarm was lifted at midday.When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the 47 underground stations of Kyiv’s metro system together sheltered around 40,000 people, Viktor Brahinskyi, the head of the Kyiv Metro, told Foreign Policy. Some remained for weeks in the metro’s ornate, marble-encrusted terminals, turning platforms and trains into makeshift encampments, using toilets and showers usually seen only by the metro staff, and consuming food and water delivered by humanitarian workers and local volunteers. A woman hugs her cat inside a subway car in an underground metro station used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine. A woman hugs her cat inside an underground metro. What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter; What's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelterWhat's up in a Kharkiv bomb shelter by Dahuanna
Three months ago. Revenues from some of their other interests, predominantly a confectionery business, help to support it. “It’s not really a business model, it’s primarily about keeping my life in Kharkiv. To send signals both to Kharkiv residents who stay here that life goes on, and signals to those outside of Kharkiv that Kharkiv is a Ukrainian city and people live here.” Lomako explains that he and his partners traveled across the country to collect local recipes and techniques. There is gombovtsi on the menu – a sweet dough from the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine’s far southwest. And kachina kasha - porridge made from rolled millets dipped in egg and flour, from the Naddniprianshchyna region, along the Dnipro River. Preparing the dish is time-consuming, Lomako says, and that is the point. It takes time. It is hard work. “Even just choosing to eat Ukrainian food means that we are choosing Ukraine,” he says. He articulates the existential threat most Ukrainians feel about Russia’s invasion, the certainty that Russians want to wipe out their history and their culture. When we are talking, a little after 9 a.m., Kharkiv is already on its third air raid siren of the day, and the cross-border offensive is into its second day and making progress. “As I see it, this is a choice of life. Every day we can choose death or life. And choosing to eat, choosing to go to restaurants, choosing to cook for people is a choice to live, not to die. Yes, this is resistance for me, it is creative resistance.” - Source: CNN " data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": " }, "small": { "uri": " } }" data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="" data-byline-html="" data-timestamp-html="" data-check-event-based-preview="" data-is-vertical-video-embed="false" data-network-id="" data-publish-date="2024-05-17T16:29:35.618Z" data-video-section="world" data-canonical-url="" data-branding-key="" data-video-slug="kharkiv-life-printinghouse-sot-ldn-digvid" data-first-publish-slug="kharkiv-life-printinghouse-sot-ldn-digvid" data-video-tags="" data-breakpoints="{"video-resource--media-extra-large": 660}" data-display-video-cover="true" data-details=""> The owner of the printing house "GUROV I K," Dmytro Gurov, points to where the Russian missile exploded. 00:29 - Source: CNN The owner of the printing house "GUROV I K," Dmytro Gurov, points to where the Russian missile exploded. 00:29 - Source: CNN " data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": " }, "small": { "uri": " } }" data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="" data-byline-html="" data-timestamp-html="" data-check-event-based-preview="" data-is-vertical-video-embed="false" data-network-id="" data-publish-date="2024-05-17T16:29:38.953Z" data-video-section="world" data-canonical-url="" data-branding-key="" data-video-slug="kharkiv-life-inside-printinghouse-ldn-digvid" data-first-publish-slug="kharkiv-life-inside-printinghouse-ldn-digvid" data-video-tags="" data-breakpoints="{"video-resource--media-extra-large": 660}" data-display-video-cover="true" data-details=""> The extensive damage caused to the printing house. 00:44 - Source: CNN The extensive damage caused to the printing house. 00:44 Walking through the burned-out wreckage of Dmytro Gurov’s 5,000-square-meter printing business is an almost overwhelming experience. Twisted metal girders and air vents, plaster and ceiling tiles gone, all windows blown out. Everywhere, remnants of the puzzles, children’s card games, books and magazines that once rolled out of machines here. Cutting machines, printing machines, laminating machines. A million bits of torn paper.Comments
KHARKIV, UKRAINE, Apr 30 — On April 29, at about 6:00 p.m., the Russian army dropped two bombs in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv, hitting the ground near an animal shelter and a residential area. A 42-year-old man was injured due to the Russian shelling. Fragments of a Russian bomb dropped on April 29 at the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara Media There is information that the Russians attacked the city with UMPB-D30, modified glide bombs.Windows were smashed in nearby residential buildings. In total, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, the Russian attack damaged six houses.City workers will cover the windows with wooden panels and then install new ones.Smashed windows in a house next to the hit site in Kharkiv / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaA volunteer replaces broken windows in a shelter after a Russian attack on April 29/ Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaBoth Russian bombs hit a few dozen meters from the premises rented by the NGO Kharkiv Animal Rescue.Animal shelter / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara Media They [premises] are intended to temporarily accommodate dogs and puppies evacuated from the war zone, the organization’s representative, Yaryna Vintoniuk, told Gwara Media.Dogs in their cages after Russian shelling on April 29/ Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaThere was a “shift change” at the shelter during the strikes. Some of the staff had already gone home, but according to the shelter’s administrator, Tetiana Pasenok, up to 12 people were in the building at the time of the attack.Valentyn, one staff member, was injured. He was walking home when the bombs hit nearby. The blast wave smashed the windows in the building, and one of the glass fragments hit the man in the thigh.Shelter administrator Tetiana Pasenok / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaThere is information that none of the animals were injured, but they are under severe stress.“We are glad it [a bomb] did not hit the premises. This is the second time the windows have been broken [in the shelter]. We see that Russia does not spare anyone — neither people nor animals,” said Yaryna Vintoniuk.A dog in a cage after Russian shelling on April 29/ Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaThis is the second time when the Russians attack hit near the Kharkiv Animal Rescue dog shelter. The first one was on January 8, 2024.Photo credits: Dogs in their cages after Russian shelling on April 29 / Photo: Denys Klymenko, Gwara MediaRead also: In Photos: Day after Russians bombed one village in Kharkiv region If you have found an error, highlight the necessary fragment and press Shift + Enter. Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, UkraineMost important stories from the frontline region Latest newsRead
2025-04-22Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Federal Election Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Puzzles Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Travel Deals Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Tech Style & Beauty Kitchen & Dining Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Deals More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.PMN NewsPMN PoliticsA Kharkiv bomb shelter: the only home baby Zhenia has knownAuthor of the article:Published Oct 14, 2022 • 2 minute read You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.KHARKIV — Wide-eyed and gripping a stuffed blue rabbit, six-month-old Zhenia settles into his pram before being walked along a Kharkiv factory forecourt – a treat to be savored for someone who has lived in a bomb shelter since he was born.Pushing the buggy is his mother, 39-year-old Olha Shevchenko. Seven months pregnant when the war broke out on Feb 24, her house in the Ukrainian village of Prudyanka was destroyed by shelling that same morning.“We were woken up at five in the morning by the sound of bombs. At 6 a.m. the suburban trains stopped running, so we could not leave,” she told Reuters.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLESEnjoy the latest
2025-04-01Local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsFearing that advancing Russian troops would soon reach her home, lying north of Kharkiv some 20km (12 miles) from the border, she eventually managed to escape in a neighbor’s car with her two older sons, Nikolay, 17 and Andriy, 16.When they reached Ukraine’s second city she rejoined her husband Evgen and, offered a refuge in the shelter underneath the factory where he works, they moved in.Nikolay and Andriy left for Poland last month, where friends helped arrange accommodation and schooling for them. But the rest of the family remains in the brick and concrete surroundings that, for Olha, have a disconcerting familiarity.“I knew this bomb shelter because when I was a little girl I saw it with my grandpa. I asked him what it was for and he said ‘For when the war comes but hopefully you will never have to see it again’. Well, now I have,” she said, with a rueful smile.Zhenia was born in a nearby maternity hospital some two months after they moved in.“The following day in the afternoon we checked out of hospital to come here,” Olha added, cradling her baby as they sat on a bed inside the bunker.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.With renewed shelling of Kharkiv making it increasingly dangerous for them to be outside, the family have worked hard to make the shelter as liveable as possible.It is linked to the power grid and equipped it with basic cooking facilities, food, books, toys and
2025-04-18– one-time guests at the hotel, checking she was OK. Russians hit the building, she says, because they claimed there were important decisions being taken by people inside. In fact, Olha says, there were only civilians in the building – mostly journalists and people preparing to celebrate New Year with their families. “This hotel has been my life’s work,” she says. “Peace will come, and guests will return to Kharkiv.” Matviy Kolotay is 15 years old and his favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo. It is an opinion widely held among the boys of the academy of FC Metalist Kharkiv, who have piled into a small room after Saturday training to watch the first team in action against Hirnyk Sport. Matviy has been with the club since 2021 but he amazes us when he explains that while he lives in Kharkiv, his family lives in Kremenchuk, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) away in the safer center of the country. “My parents are worried for me, but the main thing is that I am playing football,” he says. The war is not something he likes to talk about. “Me-ta-list! Me-ta-list!” the boys roar. They are led by Mikhaylo Galushko, one of the coaches. Every club needs a man like him. Someone to get the chant going, a man who claps his hands together with such force you can feel the audio peaking inside your head. FC Metalist play their games in Uzhhorod, the farthest point you can get from Kharkiv without leaving Ukraine. It takes more than a day to get there on the train. The boys shout at the screen like football supporters everywhere, appealing every dodgy decision by the referee. “Even in this difficult time, the children come here, and we give them the attention they deserve. Thanks to sport, thanks to our attention, they are distracted [from the war] and forget about everything that is going on,” Galushko says. It is no easy task. An air raid siren the day before had lasted the entire day and all training was canceled. If the alarms go off halfway through a session, the boys are taken to the bomb shelter. The banter resumes the moment they are inside. “All conversations are turned into jokes, so the boys are not afraid.” We tell Galushko that one of the CNN team supports English football club Everton. “Ah, you remember, the match?” he says, referring to a UEFA Cup tie between the teams in 2007. “We let you win!” Had he at any point thought of leaving Ukraine in the last two years? “We never went anywhere. When the war started, my younger son was at a tournament in Poltava. While everyone was leaving
2025-04-04