UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Feb. 5 — Leaning against the wall of the long train corridor, Yulia Berko watches her son play with other children in the compartment. She waits for her train to Odesa, the city south of Ukraine, one of the places in the country where the weather is still around 0°C (32°F).
“It’s cozy here, and kids can draw and play, so we came here to warm up,” Yulia says.
The carriage is full of visitors, some of them covered in blankets. In some compartments, large thermoses with hot drinks and instant food are on display. The train isn’t moving — it’s not supposed to, for now.
On Feb. 4, Russia launched another massive attack at Kharkiv, severely damaging power infrastructure, and leaving nearly 100,000 locals without heating as temperatures dropped to -20°C (-4°F).
To help Kharkiv, Ukrainian railway company Ukrazaliznytsia sent six carriages of invincibility, where anyone could keep warm, find an internet connection, charge their devices, and so on. Two other carriages were sent to Kyiv, which also suffered from the Russian attack.
The name “trains of invincibility” refers to the “points of invincibility” — special places set up by Ukrainian authorities across the country that operate around the clock and free of charge during power, heating or communications outages. They provide basic necessities, including heat, water, internet access, electricity for charging devices and lighting.
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., each carriage accommodates up to 50 people at a time and includes a separate children compartment with children’s literature, coloring books and cartoons — and pet-friendly compartments.
“We heat up carriages, and provide hot drinks for those who come to warm up,” says train conductor Natalia Mykhailenko when asked about her duties.
Zhanna Andriianova, another visitor of the “train of invincibility” shares that she came here to drink a hot coffee and spend time with her family, while waiting for her train. She doesn’t share where she’s going.
“This is really helpful, during these cold times,” Zhanna says with a smile on her face.
Earlier, the US Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham urged President Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles in response to Russian attacks on the country’s power infrastructure.
Read more
- Russian forces continue their attacks on Kharkiv energy infrastructure, leaving people without heating, electricity
Hi, Nazar’s on duty! I visited “trains of invincibility” to show you how Ukrainians even in the coldest and darkest times find the way to pull themselves together and keep warm and hope in their hearts. If you want to warm us up in Gwara’s newsroom, please consider buying us a (hot) coffee or becoming a member of our community.
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