KHARKIV, Ukraine — It’s a smoldering hot day and hundreds of people are out on the sandy shores of the beach that lines the Kharkiv River, sipping cold beer, playing card games or bobbing up and down to the sounds of the music that blaring in the background. They seem thankful for the reprieve of the river’s cool waters and a relative lull in the skies above.
But just miles from this ordinary summer scene, Ukrainian troops are battling the Russian army that swept across the border last month in a new offensive, and the distant sounds of bombs landing occasionally pierce the beachside tranquility.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has been pummeled by Russian missiles and drones since the first days of the war, and the new Russian offensive appeared to put the city firmly in the Kremlin’s crosshairs. But since a U-turn from the White House last month allowed the use of American weapons to hit inside Russian territory just across the border, officials and residents told NBC News that a period of relative calm had set in.
Some seem to be taking full advantage of it.
“The situation is dangerous every day, but you have to live; we have to distract ourselves from what’s going on,” said Oleksandr, 44, a meat salesman who was sunbathing at the beach with his young daughter, Vasylyna. “It stabilizes us psychologically a little bit.”
Just 20 miles from the Russian border, Moscow’s missiles take seconds to reach Kharkiv. That makes air raid sirens almost redundant. An acute shortage of modern air defense systems has left Ukraine unable to secure the skies over the city, meaning the million-plus people who call it home are particularly vulnerable.
In recent months, Russia has escalated its attacks on the city, with energy and civilian infrastructure taking a heavy beating: Cafés, gas stations, printing houses and residential buildings are among many civilian structures that have been hit. In the latest, and one of the most deadly incidents, local officials said 19 people were killed and dozens were injured May 25 in a strike on a hardware store.
When the Russians advanced toward Kharkiv last month, Kyiv’s allies in Europe and Washington greenlighted the use of their weapons for limited strikes inside Russian border regions.
Although strikes on Kharkiv and the region have continued, their tempo has significantly lessened. And the ground offensive that initially swept forward into surrounding towns like Vovchansk has been held back.
That slowdown has given residents a sense that, at least for the time being, the city is safer, according to Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration.
“Thanks in part to the U.S. decision to allow use of weapons inside Russia, it is possible for people to walk on the streets,” Sinegubov told NBC News in an interview on the streets of Kharkiv last week. “Things have become quieter here in Kharkiv city.”
But it’s unclear how long this period of relative calm could last.
When NBC News visited, patrons were flocking to bars and restaurants in central Kharkiv, and citizens of all ages could be seen enjoying the city’s parks.
Sirens still blast regularly throughout the city, but they seem to elicit little reaction from residents, who carry on with their lives. All the while, the toll of 2 1/2 years of war is evident on every corner: Buildings are damaged and mobilization posters are plastered on the walls across central Kharkiv.
“I’d say the atmosphere is intense but businesslike,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an interview last month. “For a lot of people, their strings are taut, but everyone is carrying on.”
Hospitals and public transport function well, Terekhov said. Many schools have been destroyed, but are still teaching online. Some now offer face-to-face classes at the city’s underground metro stations, he said, so that children are protected from the shelling and learning is not constantly interrupted by air raid sirens.
Before the war, Kharkiv enjoyed a “special status” in Ukraine, Terehkov said. Known as a convenient city to live in with a busy cultural life and clean streets, he explained, it’s always been loved by the IT sector, young people and students. “It’s always been a young and cool place, a very creative place,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of residents fled the city after the initial Russian assault in early 2022. But many have since returned, and the city’s population now hovers at more than 1 million people out of the prewar population of approximately 1.4 million, Terekhov said.
But for months, rumors have circulated that Russia may want to focus on Kharkiv as its next target. A week after launching the offensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had no plans to take the city, but many residents remain on edge.
Several told NBC News they were considering evacuating further into Ukraine if Russians get close to the city, but for now, they choose to stay put. Others said they don’t want to leave their homes.
Elena Sukhar, who manages a pharmacy, said she is needed in Kharkiv, despite the dangers she faces. On the day she spoke with NBC News last month, 15 missiles hit the city.
Still, she said there was no panic, and the city continued to run, with beauty salons and even some pools open to the public. “Whatever is not destroyed and is functional is still open,” Sukhar, 62, said. “People wake up, hear the air raid sirens and still go to work.”
Others were more circumspect. Homemaker Olha Pipko said she rarely ventures out far from her home, especially during air raid sirens, which can last for several hours.
“Some people walk around the city like nothing is happening, but if there is an air siren and aviation coming, we try to stay inside,” Pipko, 45, said. But while she noticed a lull after the restrictions were loosened on Ukraine, she added that she doesn’t feel safe in the city. “You don’t know if you are going to wake up in the morning or not,” she said.
That attitude is not unwarranted: Russian troops have been able to advance closer to Kharkiv at numerous points in the conflict before being repelled by Ukraine’s army. Even so, those who live in northeastern Ukraine will have been given renewed hope by remarks Monday from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Ukrainian forces were “gradually pushing” the Russians out of the Kharkiv region. Vitaly Ganchev, the region’s Russia-appointed governor, told Russian state news agency Ria, “The enemy has pulled up reserves and is trying to counterattack.”
It’s likely to give a little more peace of mind to residents in the city.
Pipko and others have told NBC News they take pride in their city, which they often call “reinforced concrete” — a Ukrainian play on words, conveying strength and stamina of the people living there.
“I like this phrase. Kharkiv is unbreakable,” Terekhov, the mayor, said. “We have had to take on a lot, and there will be lots of challenges ahead. Yes, we are reinforced concrete,” he added. “But reinforced concrete also needs protection!”
Richard Engel and Marc Smith were in Kharkiv, Yuliya Talmazan is in London and Daryna Mayer is in Kyiv.
