Deputy of the Kharkiv City Council, Habriel Mykhaylov;
Credit: Kateryna Mostova
On Wednesday 5 March 2025, a delegation from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city before Russia’s full-scale invasion, participated in the third Ukraine Resilience Business Forum, organised by the Luxembourg-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce (LUCC).
Deputy of the Kharkiv City Council, Habriel Mykhaylov, spoke to Chronicle.lu about the situation in the city, the state of businesses, the shutdown of major enterprises and the organisation of the education system.
“Before the full-scale invasion, Kharkiv had a population of over two million people, including 300,000 students. It was the second-largest city in Ukraine both in terms of population and industrial activity. Unfortunately, the war has significantly impacted this number, and currently, around 1.2 million people remain in the city. This is still a considerable number, with nearly half of the residents being internally displaced persons from frontline and occupied territories,” said Deputy Mykhaylov.
The city of Kharkiv is located just 30 kilometres from the Russian border and remains under constant attack from Russian forces. “Half of the city's housing stock has been destroyed and is now uninhabitable,” noted Habriel Mykhaylov.
However, challenges persist, including a strict curfew from 23:00 to 06:00, prohibiting movement without special permits. He said: “Constant shelling targets the city, not with missiles but with guided aerial bombs, which are dropped from aircraft and directed at urban areas. Unfortunately, central Kharkiv has suffered extensive destruction. Energy-generating facilities, particularly thermal power plants, have also sustained heavy damage, as the enemy strikes power grids and transformer substations responsible for electricity distribution.”
According to Habriel Mykhaylov, in recent weeks, Russia has primarily used Shahed-type drones for attacks. Before that, there was a brief two-month period of relative calm, with fewer airstrikes. “However, since the very first day of the war, for three consecutive years, Kharkiv has been under relentless bombardment from S-300 missiles, Kinzhal missiles and guided aerial bombs,” shared the Deputy of the Kharkiv City Council.
Beyond peace, Kharkiv urgently requires international institutional support to maintain the city's viability. “The city maintains strong cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The EBRD has financed the completion of Kharkiv’s metro extension, a project currently underway, as well as the construction of a new landfill site. Numerous other projects are also in progress. Events like the third Ukraine Resilience Business Forum in Luxembourg help establish connections by demonstrating that Kharkiv has the capability to operate effectively and develop essential infrastructure,” emphasised Habriel Mykhaylov.
He also mentioned Kharkiv’s major businesses, such as the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company, JSC “Ukrenergymachines” (formerly Turboatom), which specialises in producing steam turbines, hydraulic turbines and gas turbines and is one of the largest of its kind in the world, as well as the Kharkiv Tractor Plant. The Deputy said: “Unfortunately, these and many other industrial enterprises have been forced to cease operations due to the ongoing bombardments. However, small businesses continue to function at 40-50% of their capacity. Cafés, restaurants, supermarkets, zoo and recreational parks remain open. The city ensures that infrastructure is maintained - ruined sites are swiftly repaired, so the scale of destruction is less visible. In fact, a visitor might notice more signs of war damage in Kyiv than in Kharkiv.”
Due to the city's close proximity to Russia, where missile flight times range from just 35 to 40 seconds, organising in-person schooling is nearly impossible. “There is not enough time to evacuate children to safety or bomb shelters before impact. In many cases, explosions occur before air raid sirens even sound. As a result, all schools, kindergartens and universities operate exclusively online,” said Habriel Mykhaylov. “To address this, underground schools - so-called "metro schools" - have been established within the metro system, ensuring safety at sufficient depths underground. The city aims to distribute these schools across different districts, allowing parents who continue to work in Kharkiv to safely involve their children in the educational process. The first such school was introduced in the 2023-2024 academic year.”
For more details about the recent Ukraine Resilience Business Forum held in Luxembourg, see https://chronicle.lu/category/other-business-chambers/53753-luxembourg-hosts-3rd-ukraine-resilience-business-forum-to-strengthen-economic-security-cooperation and https://chronicle.lu/category/other-business-chambers/53781-3rd-ukraine-resilience-business-forum-experts-discuss-energy-independence-reconstruction-efforts
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