Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said RBK-Ukraine needs a comprehensive air defense system to protect against ongoing Russian attacks.
In an interview, Terekhov said, “One or two Patriots won’t solve all of Kharkiv’s issues—we need a whole system.”
The mayor described severe damage to Kharkiv’s energy and heating infrastructure from Russian strikes. “All the thermal power plants that supplied Kharkiv have been destroyed. Today, we don’t have a single kilowatt of our generation,” Terekhov said.
To prepare for winter, the city is installing small cogeneration units and modular boiler houses throughout Kharkiv. Terekhov expressed confidence that if implemented as planned, these measures can fully replace centralized heating.
The mayor estimates over 1 million people currently reside in Kharkiv, including around 200,000 internally displaced persons from other oblasts. He noted more people are returning to the city than leaving.
Addressing recent attacks, Terekhov said: “This is real terror and genocide. When they strike residential buildings, when they destroy the supply sphere, the city’s critical infrastructure – this is genocide.”
He argued that Russia aimed to frighten residents into fleeing Kharkiv. However, Terekhov said there has not been a mass exodus comparable to 2022.
The city continues rebuilding efforts despite ongoing shelling. According to Terekhov, since 2022, the city has rebuilt 300 houses. He estimates that the full reconstruction of Kharkiv would cost around $10 billion.
Regarding education, 364 educational institutions in Kharkiv have been damaged or destroyed. Most schools operated online last year, but the city opened an innovative “metro school” in subway stations for in-person learning.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the latest press conference that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot missile defense systems to protect its skies from Russian aerial threats.
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