Julia Gush
After the full-scale invasion, Russian troops began actively shelling Kharkiv. Northern Saltivka was especially hard hit – to date, there is not a single surviving house left there. 70 percent of residential buildings and infrastructure were destroyed by heavy artillery. Druzhby Narodov Street, located in two districts – Kyivskiy and Saltivskyi – was heavily affected. During the shelling, the building number 225 was destroyed. As a result of another strike, the facade collapsed on several floors of the building. The ceiling also collapsed. After the strike, a fire broke out, and it burned the house from the inside.
This house has repeatedly attracted the attention of photographers. The photos looked very symbolic: a burned-out house, terrible destruction, and at the same time – the inscription in Russian “Druzhby Narodov Street = Friendship of the Nations Street”. This street got its name back in Soviet times. According to the plan of the officials of that time, it should symbolize the brotherhood of peoples within the USSR. Similar toponyms were found in almost every city of the former USSR.
Residential building on Druzhby Narodov street, 225. Yulia Gush. August 15, 2022.
The publication was financed by the Internews Network and the NGO “INSTITUTE OF MASS INFORMATION” within the framework of the “Media Program in Ukraine” project
