How war has changed Ukraine’s second city

saved Yulia Rebenko from probable death. She ran from her kitchen to the bathroom as soon as she heard the first thuds. By the time the reached her flat on Shakespeare Street on the afternoon of May 26th, slicing through the chestnut trees to land outside her window, Ms Rebenko was two walls away from the impact. She walked away with minor cuts. At least nine others ended up in the morgue. Ukraine’s second city, a proud, gutsy, working-class centre, faces a most uncertain future. Because it is only 40km from Russia, few thought Kharkiv stood any chance of withstanding an invasion. In the event, enemy armour was inside the sprawling city boundaries within the first three days. But a combination of spirited resistance and a reluctance by Moscow to commit the kind of forces needed to encircle the city meant Kharkiv somehow survived. In mid-May Ukraine counter-attacked and retook several villages to the north and north-east. Many people began to hope normal life was possible; some even began to return home. The reality has proven more sobering. The northern parts of the city remain within range of Russia’s long-range artillery, as the Shakespeare Street attack demonstrated. The Russians are digging in, reinforcing their positions in a way that will make pushing them back again very difficult.