Another aid run to Kharkiv...

...via Kyiv. The road bridge over the Dnipro and the skyline of Kyiv are always worthy of photos, even on a dull day, taking care not to photograph the soldiers on the bridge! I hadn't noticed, until I 'cropped' these photos, the detail on the iron work...

In planning this trip, we've been taking account of the fact that it's the first anniversary of Putin's invasion of Ukraine; although, we still feel it's likely that he'll continue to inflict the same random, senseless violence, rather than anything significantly different. But we've decided that we'll spend as little time in Kharkiv as possible, given that we'll be there on 24 February.

We have 2 aid drops to make: we'll drop 500 kg of plastic sheeting at a warehouse in Kharkiv tomorrow afternoon, which will be taken to repair windows that have been shelled and damaged in Izium, and we'll drop the other generic aid first thing the following morning (after our interview with Radio Lancashire: Friday 07:00 UK time!). 

We also have a box of flour for our friend, Franklin, who is relocating to Kharkiv to do his baking closer to the frontline. Then we'll be back on the road, which is safer than being in any urban area.

With any planning though, there's always the unknown. The centre of Kharkiv was struck by a missile attack today, only injuring 2 people, fortunately. But 2 more civilians were killed in Kherson region today: an 81-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man - who must have posed a real threat to Putin!

Meanwhile, we are staying in a 2-room roadside 'hotel' in a village east of Kyiv, called Ivankiv. It's somewhat reminiscent of "Little House on the Prairie," we think. It's very cheap and, just as important, warm and cosy. It gets colder the further east you go. It's going down to -9°C tonight; - 12°C in Kharkiv tomorrow night!