By Serhiy Petrov
After a few days that finally felt like actual spring it got cold today. There was strong wind and from time to time snow. In short, the weather is very unpleasant, the kind of weather from which your hands quickly get stiff.
Late evening and nighttime weren’t quiet. The hot spot was North Saltivka and the rest of Saltivka, especially Eastern Saltivka. There was also unrest in the Kharkiv Tractor Plant neighborhood and in Novi Budynky. There was shelling (not very intense) at the Zhukovsky settlement and other northern suburbs of Kharkiv.
There was shelling in the morning, but not too intense. Saltivka and the Kharkiv Tractor Plant neighborhood were fired upon again. But daytime and early evening were calm. Shelling came in waves, with relatively long periods of quiet in between. It intensified in the evening, reaching about the same level as in the morning. This time, Saltivka, Obriy, Rohan, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant neighborhood, and the village of Dokuchaevske were shelled again. In the evening, Zhytomir, Lutsk, Rivne, and Kharkiv were hit. Wait for official information to find out the specific locations.
Roof on one of the city’s schools was hit during the nighttime shelling of Saltivka. The school, by the way, is “moscvomovna” (translator’s note: Russian-speaking). Greetings from “ruSSkiy mir” (Russian World) to “ruSSkiy mir,” as they say. This is not the first time such a thing has happened in Kharkiv. It’s become a routine event. Well, they are turning the city into the second Banderstadt. Overall, 80 schools and 58 kindergartens have been damaged in Kharkiv.
Some of the damaged buildings get even more damaged because of the strong winds. It’s expected to rain in the coming days. The damage will increase further. Punctured roofs are another form of damage (which isn’t always easy to detect), and they will lead to more destruction when water leaks through and down the walls. Water mains at the buildings’ bases are also damaged, with water leaking out…
By my estimate, 50% to 60% of the population has left the city. This data correlates with the number of people in the queues. So, there must be no more than 700,000 people left in the city. There were 1.6 million to 1.7 million people before the war, despite the official estimate of 1.45 million. Meanwhile, city authorities say 70% of the population has remained, but that data is overly optimistic and unrealistic, because at least half of the people in my non-volunteer and non-activist circles have left. They may have left for nearby areas, but still, they’ve left Kharkiv.
Yes, many people are staying in basements, but that’s happening on the outskirts, which are being shelled. Living in the basement really destroys one’s psyche. For example, I met a person in the subway who asked me what it was like outside on the streets. Together with my friend, Natalia Zubar, we explained that it is quiet, that spring is here, and that the sun is warm. The man looked at us in disbelief. Such cases, according to the Maidan Monitoring team, are not uncommon. Those who live in the basements and subway stations need immediate psychological help. People do not admit they have problems, but they have to be saved.
Because of the shelling of Saltivka, there are problems (again) with the water supply, specifically there but also other areas. Water will be supplied to Saltivka, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant neighborhood, and Novi Budynky on schedule, so that public utility workers can repair damaged water supply systems.
Heavy fighting for Izyum continues. The Muscovites are transferring forces from other directions there. They are trying to go around it in order to get on the road to Slovyansk and Rubizhne-Severodonetsk (there’s heavy fighting there as well) to completely capture Donetsk and Luhansk regions and surround our forces in the Joint Forces Operation zone. The village of Oskil, the center of the Oskil village community, was also shelled. As a result, seven people died, including two children. Another five were injured. Meanwhile, our soldiers near Izyum shot down another Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft.
Our fighters have driven the muscovites out of Husarivka, of the Balakliya city community, preventing them from advancing to Barvinkove. Three officials of the Balakliya city community, including the mayor of Balakliya, are still in captivity because they are pro-Ukrainian and do not support the muscovites.
In recent days, the muscovites’ main targets have been fuel storage facilities and other important facilities in western Ukraine.
The goal is to deprive us of resources and create an even greater influx of refugees, so that Europe stops supporting Ukraine and puts pressure on our government to surrender on moscovia’s terms.
Speaking of Zelensky’s conditions and statements, in short, the muscovites will not agree to keeping things as they were before February 24, 2022. They will not agree to move within the borders of “ORDLO” (Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine) and deprive themselves of the corridor to Crimea. So, the war will continue. The muscovites also won’t agree to the system of guarantees from many countries in exchange for a neutral status of Ukraine. Therefore, negotiations will continue for the sake of the process. How long until a ceasefire? I don’t know..
Forests are burning in the Luhansk region and the Chernobyl zone. Obviously, they cannot be extinguished. It’s a giant blow to the ecosystem and ecology of Ukraine. But the muscovites need this, because if they can’t take Ukraine, they can leave behind scorched earth. They are looting and destroying everything they can. They are stealing cars, equipment, tractors; they’re even stealing plastic bassinets (so I’ve hard). They’re also destroying everything to inflict maximum damage, like breaking all the old computers in one of the schools. This is all the russian scum “liberators’s” handiwork.
Here’s some funny stuff that’s happened. Some people from Mariupol and the suburbs were taken to Donetsk. The local gauleiter, Pushylin, was supposed to visit them today, but in the morning the inscription “Glory to Ukraine” appeared on the school where he was supposed to visit, and the propaganda campaign was canceled.
At the same time, it is estimated that 40,000 Ukrainian citizens have already been deported or “forced” to go to moscovia by a lack of living arrangements. They are also hostages, taken by the muscovites to make us more accommodating.
Kherson and Kakhovka are coming out to protest the occupation, with many people participate in rallies in support of Ukraine. They are being dispersed with tear gas and machine guns. Meanwhile, a Kherson district council member and head of the European Solidarity fraction was abducted by the russists. Muscovites do not understand that freedom is something that’s worth fighting for. The phenomenon of freedom is absent across the border, in moscovia. I thank everyone who is fighting in this way for Ukraine under occupation.
Today, the Darwin Award goes to the muscovite unit that’s been trying for several days to fire on the positions of Ukrainian soldiers with artillery and tanks. The shelling was inaccurate, ending with their own tanks burning.
Let us help our heroic military, as well as volunteers, medics, rescuers, and public utility workers. Everyone needs support, so please call your friends and acquaintances. Conversations give strength in difficult times. We believe in the Armed Forces, we believe in ourselves, and we believe in Ukraine!
