Original title: Ukrainian-Russian border city: nervous life as usual Source: Reference News Network
Reference News Network reported on February 4 The Efe News Agency published an article titled “Kharkov, a divided city facing the threat of Russia” on February 2. The article described the current state of Kharkiv, a city bordering Ukraine and Russia. The full text is excerpted as follows:
“I will take up arms to defend the city, there will be no other options,” Ukrainian businessman Andrei Polish told Efe news agency he and Kharkiv, Ukraine, which borders Russia and is close to Donbass Like many of the inhabitants of the Territory, ready to stand up to the Russian “invaders”, there are other locals who shy away from the possible attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented a few weeks ago that Kharkiv, a city 40 kilometers from the Russian border, could be one of the targets of Russia’s “invasion”. Since then, various alarms have been ringing in the second-largest city in Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, he (Zelensky) only mentioned Kharkiv. If the city was just one of many he mentioned, it wouldn’t have done us much harm.” Digital Media “Today” “Kharkov” head Yulia Aguyeva told reporters. She reminded that Ukraine shares a nearly 2,000-kilometer land border with Russia.
She explained that many people in the city reacted like “mass psychosis” and prepared “emergency kits”, including herself. Some even started to sell their houses in the city and plan to move their business to other cities in Ukrainian.
However, many have also joined the Homeland Security Forces, which are local militias organized to fight Russian “aggressors”, Polish said.
However, the unchanging trajectory of daily life finally overcame the momentary panic, and citizens walked on the streets without fear of the heavy snowfall in February.
At first glance, Kharkov is still alive and kicking, with impatient passers-by waiting around the corner for traffic lights and trams from the Soviet era clinking on the tracks.
“There is almost zero chance that the ‘invasion’ will start in Kharkiv,” Polish said.
Ukrainian authorities are also trying to defuse the information crisis, urging citizens to remain calm and saying they see no sign of an imminent Russian “invasion”, even though they remember a war between the two countries just eight years ago.
“Now the tension has eased.” Aguyeva said the situation was much more tense than now when Russia “annexed” Crimea nearly eight years ago and the war broke out in the Donbass, although she did not rule out At some point the situation may worsen.