UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Dec 9 – During the full-scale invasion, Russia caused almost €10 billion in damages to Kharkiv. The city council is looking for funding for reconstruction, said Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Ukrainian TV.

The Russian army has been often attacking Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, since the start of the full-scale invasion — the city is close to the border and the frontline. Russians use various weapons like glide bombs, strike drones, and missiles to target civilian and critical infrastructure there. 

Ihor Terekhov said that this year, they plan to restore 100 buildings damaged by Russian attacks. 

The damage Russia caused to Kharkiv is even greater, he said, and “no city can cope with [it] on its own,” adding that the search for funding for reconstruction is still ongoing.

In November 2024 alone, the Russian attacks damaged 144 multi-story buildings and 22 private sector buildings in Kharkiv. Since the beginning of the large-scale war, Russia damaged a total of 4,414 damaged high-rise buildings and 3,680 buildings in the private sector of the city.

“Believe me, even a small shell getting into residential buildings or apartments causes significant destruction, fires, and seriously injures people,” Ihor Terekhov said. 

In addition, since February 24, 2022, the Russians damaged more than half of Kharkiv’s educational facilities, including 134 schools out of 184 and 109 kindergartens out of 205.

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