Back in Kharkiv again
Tom Bates in Tsyrkuny
August 4th 2022. I’m back in Kharkiv again. I can’t remember how many times I have been here in the past four months. Nothing much has changed except there are less people on the streets. The Russians continue to terrorize the civilians every night by indiscriminately firing missiles into neighborhoods. Mostly on the east side of Kharkiv but not always.
I do know that I have driven over 24,000 kilometers within Ukraine so far. No driving at night, though. Curfews and blackouts are enforced. The military and farm equipment are on the roads at night without any tail lights.
Checkpoints are not illuminated and some vehicles have collided with the concrete barriers at full speed. The roads just outside of Kharkiv are pockmarked with craters from artillery and missile strikes. The streets within Kharkiv are textured from tank tracks that make the tires sing.
Today we will go to the demilitarized village of Tsyrkuny just east of Kharkiv. We have been here before. The Russians occupied it a the beginning of the conflict but the Ukrainian military has liberated it. Not before the Russians destroyed most of the village and have stolen what they can carry or drive off in.
What buildings and homes that remain don’t have water, gas, or electricity. Yet many villagers chose to stay to take care of their property, their animals, and the animals left behind by the neighbors that fled. As we distribute humanitarian aid supplies the Ukrainian artillery is firing from behind our location over our heads towards the Russian front line. It is relentless.
The villagers don’t flinch. Neither do we after a while. We are advised to park our vehicle under trees by the locals. Russian drones have been seen and will direct fire at anything that appears to be assisting Ukraine. Even humanitarian aid workers. Especially humanitarian aid workers. The Russians want to cause fear and confusion so foreigners will leave and abandon Ukraine. Sometimes they are successful. Mostly not.
It’s time to go meet our Ukrainian contacts that will guide us through the checkpoints and into Tsyrkuny. There is always the chance we won’t be allowed past the last barrier. Our contacts have been doing this activity for quite a while and know the brigade commander so our chances of entering the village are good.
We rely on the Ukrainian military to help us make the decision to go in or not. We wear tactical vests and military helmets just in case the Russians decide to strike the village again. There isn’t a strategic reason to target Tsyrkuny. Nothing there but people and animals trying to exist.