Ihor Terekhov says the security situation for large Ukrainian cities is broadly similar, but their distance from the frontline makes a difference. Kharkiv is currently considered the worst-affected of the country’s major cities.
“Since the beginning of the full-scale war, 14,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including 10,000 residential buildings. There is nowhere else with this level of destruction. Some 160,000 residents of Kharkiv have been left without a roof over their heads,” the mayor said, citing the figures.
According to him, the local authorities, together with the military and engineers, are constantly improving measures to counter Russian attacks.
“Technology is changing very quickly, and new types of weapons are appearing. Take Kharkiv, for example: at first, we were attacked with air bombs and artillery, then with Iskanders and guided aerial bombs (the latter still hit the city periodically); then the Shaheds started, followed by fibre-optic drones, and now there are Banderols. This new type of weapon was particularly dangerous for us – at first, we could not detect it at all. But the situation is completely different now,” Terekhov said.
A significant part of Kharkiv is now also protected against fibre-optic drones.
“Not all of it yet, but we have managed to ‘cover’ a large part of the city. We took the experience of the military, which they use on the frontline, and installed special systems at municipal enterprises that effectively cover certain parts of the city today,” the mayor said. “If we cover the entire perimeter of the city, the results will be much greater. We need layered protection, and we are constantly improving it. Today, we are facing another problem – radio-controlled FPV drones. We need to respond to this challenge quickly as well.”
A year and a half ago, Kharkiv built a situation centre that allows threats to be monitored in real time and alerts to be issued in advance. By separating alerts for the city and the region, the authorities have managed to reduce the number of air-raid alerts affecting residents and businesses by around 60%, the mayor said.
“And it also means a rapid response, because we can see online where strikes have occurred. Previously, it could take up to five minutes to identify this; now it takes just a matter of seconds. And all the services immediately head to the scene because they are located in the same building,” Ihor Terekhov said.
He also noted that Kharkiv schoolchildren now have the opportunity to receive full-time education in underground schools. Kharkiv, the mayor said, was the first to develop the design and cost documentation for underground schools and shared it with Zaporizhzhya. The city now has 10 fully operational underground schools, seven metro stations converted for educational use, and 24 safe educational spaces in total.
The city authorities also understand the threat facing the city’s heating and water supply ahead of winter, Terekhov said, and will do everything possible to get through the heating season.
Kharkiv is now actively sharing its experience with international partners.
“If we, as local government bodies, had known in advance that a full-scale war was coming, we would have prepared differently. Unfortunately, we now have a great deal of experience, which people come to us to learn from, while our specialists share it in European and Baltic countries and elsewhere,” Ihor Terekhov said.