Ukraine: Kharkiv holds secret concert as Russians retreat
In Kharkiv, Ukraine, you can still hear the sound of explosions, but now it’s coming, with the Ukrainians firing at the retreating Russians.
Russia began withdrawing forces from around Ukraine’s second-largest city earlier this week after coming under near-constant shelling.
Now, the residents are starting to slowly return to life, amidst the damaged buildings.
“It was a horrible sight,” one man told CTV News’ international chief executive Paul Workman. “Considering Kharkiv as one of the most historic cities in this country.”
Russian bombing tore through the spiers of an orthodox church, but not enough to silence its bells. The window on the Union Building was broken. Many residents had their homes destroyed, and were only able to return to retrieve their belongings.
One woman told CTV National News her dog wanted out just before the Russians bombarded her building in the suburbs, and it may have saved her life.
The Russians attacked Kharkiv with rockets and artillery, but their troops never entered the city.
Despite the damage, life is returning to the city. The first public event in three months was a rock and roll concert, with the time and location kept secret until the last minute to avoid being targeted.
“Kharkiv is rock solid,” one event organizer told CTV National News. “The world can now see what we are capable of.”
Organizers said air raid sirens went off as soon as the musicians started playing, but the concert went on anyway.
First, the Russians scrapped their plans to capture Kyiv – now it looks like they’ve given up on Ukraine’s second largest city, their forces pushed back as the music returns to Kharkiv.