Kharkiv keeps rebuilding despite Russian attacks, mayor says

Kharkiv is continuing to function and repair damage despite repeated Russian attacks, Mayor Ihor Terekhov told ERR. The city, once targeted by Russian missiles, now also faces drone strikes.

With winter approaching, Terekhov said the coming season would be very difficult unless a proposed “energy truce” takes effect. Under the proposal, Ukraine would stop attacking Russian oil refineries in exchange for Russia halting strikes on energy and other critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

Kharkiv endured a difficult previous winter after attacks on power plants left it with no electricity generation of its own and damaged its heating system. Electricity and heat networks were attacked 50 times, Terekhov said. The city is preparing for the next winter and has been doing so since 2022.

He said autonomous “energy islands,” supplied by small boiler houses, helped the city get through the winter by providing residents with electricity, heat and water. Terekhov said he could not share further details, but described the approach as effective.

Kharkiv’s population, which fell to between 320,000 and 350,000 at points during the war, is now about 1.4 million, including 225,000 internally displaced people. The city provides services through its hospitals and schools, but Terekhov said the displaced people also need state support, including housing certificates. A national housing programme for them has not yet been implemented.

Terekhov said 160,000 Kharkiv residents had been left without shelter. About 10,000 residential buildings have been damaged, badly damaged or destroyed, while nearly 4,000 have been repaired or restored during the war. He said the city’s budget deficit was very large.