Kharkiv slowly picks up pieces 90 days after Russian invasion

Kharkiv, Ukraine, May 24 (EFE).- The reopening of Kharkiv’s metro system marks a tentative return to normalcy for Ukraine’s second-largest city, which was battered by invading Russian forces in the early days of the war that entered its third month Tuesday..

Until now, the city’s metro had become a refuge for many of Kharkiv’s two million residents.

Ludmyla Prokopenko and her children sought shelter in the metro until they could return to their home. Others whose houses were destroyed by Russian bombing have since been offered temporary accomodation centers and hostels.

Ludmyla tells Efe she is relieved to see the metro running again because it reduces her commute time to work compared to the bus.

Although the frequency of the metro timetables has dropped from every two minutes to every half an hour, its reopening is a sign that the city is slowly returning to a sense of normalcy.

Luvob, an employee of Kharkiv’s metro, says she is happy to return to work even though there are very few people using the underground rail system compared to before the war.

Stations in parts of the city that have been worst-hit by Russian attacks will remain closed for security reasons.

Explosions in residential areas in the outskirts of the city, where the main fighting occurred, could still be heard on Monday as Ukrainian forces tried to prevent Russian forces from advancing into Kharkiv.

Ukrainian armed forces claim Russians are trying to consolidate positions in rural areas near Kharkiv after Ukrainian troops drove them out of the city. EFE

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