News Feed

Zelensky: Kharkiv not safe enough for residents to return

2 min read
Zelensky: Kharkiv not safe enough for residents to return
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Kharkiv on March 1, 2024. (Ukrainska Pravda) 

Kharkiv is not yet safe enough for residents to return to the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on March 1.

"As for the return of Kharkiv residents: you see, I don't think Kharkiv is so protected at the moment that I can advise people to return," Zelensky stated. "This is the choice of Kharkiv residents."

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is located in the east of the country, just about 30 kilometers from the Russian border. Due to its proximity to the border with Russia, Kharkiv Oblast and the regional capital have faced near-daily attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. Part of the region was also occupied in early February 2022 before its liberation in early September.  

Last month, a Russian drone struck a gas station in Kharkiv, creating a large fire that engulfed 15 residential homes and killed at least seven people, including three children.

President Zelensky said today that Ukraine's military must not only strengthen air defense in the region but also work to push Russian troops further away from the cities to bring security back to Kharkiv.  

"Otherwise, it will be very difficult to fully defend Kharkiv, even if we reinforce it with appropriate modern air defense systems. We are looking for opportunities to strengthen Kharkiv's air defense in any case. This is our task today."

More than 20,000 buildings have been destroyed in Kharkiv since Feb. 24, 2022, according to Ukrainian government figures.

‘Who are they fighting, children?’ Family of 5 killed in devastating Russian attack on Kharkiv
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of graphic scenes. Yuliia Solomko couldn’t fall asleep late on the night of Feb. 9. Kharkiv, her hometown, was under yet another heavy Russian attack. Worse, she could hear explosions coming from the neighborhood where her best friend and her family…
Article image

Avatar
Rachel Amran

News Editor

Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.

Read more
News Feed

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the U.S., South Korea, and Japan of military buildups around North Korea. "We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia."

Show More