News from Kharkiv

May 11, 2024

On the afternoon of 8 May, the Russians bombed a sports field in Saltivka, a district in the northeast of the city. Three boys, aged 13 to 15, were playing football. They all suffered leg injuries and one of them needed a traumatic amputation. Seven people were injured altogether, including an 8-year-old girl, who received a head wound and a brain injury.

Since this time, the Russians have been intensifying their bombing of Kharkiv and region, particularly border areas, forcing a number of civilians to evacuate, including from the town of Vovchansk, which seems to have been completely destroyed.

Air raid alerts are almost constant, e.g. covering 30 hours over a 48 hour period last week. The children's library, where I was planning ito hold an English conversation group, has closed due to concerns about increased bombing.

But there is some good news amongst all the negative: today saw the opening of the first purpose-built underground school in Kharkiv. Until now there have been limited, makeshift classes operating in the actual underground - the subway. The new underground school has 20 classrooms and can accommodate 900 children, studying in two shifts.

Hell's Kitchen continues to be as busy and cheerful as ever. Volunteers begin about 7:30 in the kitchen and often finish in the bakery after 5:30pm, depending on the number of orders.

One day this week I began learning the tasks of head baker - being responsible for the production of several batches of 180 rolls, from start to finish. It seems a fiendishly complicated process, including proofing the rolls, several oven temperatures and remembering to take the rolls out of the oven!

But at least I didn't call in with a migraine the next day, as happened with one volunteer, I'm told!

A few of us in the bakery stayed behind on Friday evening to make a curry for a social gathering of volunteers today (Saturday), which happens monthly. The main ingredient was jackfruit, which none of us had ever heard of, but there happened to be a large quantity of it in the aid load that Bob and I brought from the charity, Стари місто Львів (Old City Lviv).

In fact, jackfruit is very nutritious but we weren't sure if the locals would like the curry, being both vegetarian and spicy hot. We felt they needed to know what was in it...

The monthly party at Hell's Kitchen is to thank all the volunteers for their hard work and give them a chance to relax. I was informed that the atmosphere was a little more subdued today due to the current situation, but, still, people seemed to be enjoying themselves and, fortunately, our curry! The smoke in this photo is from the barbecue!

I watched the woman making the sweet cinnamon rolls, above - the best I've tasted in my life!

Otherwise, this week, I've spent some of my spare time cutting up strips of camouflage netting in my apartment.

And, for fresh air and exercise, because air raid alerts are so long and the danger of being outside has increased, I'm getting into the habit of walking around the amazing Kharkiv Zoo. It's close to my apartment and free of charge. The zoo covers a large area and feels relatively safe. The animals don't seem to be disturbed by the sound of sirens or explosions, even during afternoon naps...