Polina Morozova is a correspondent for Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Nearly three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a small but growing number of tourists want to witness the destruction for themselves. Visitors on a tour of Kharkiv say the extent of the destruction comes as a shock, as does Ukrainians' ability to persevere through disaster.
Entrepreneurs in Kharkiv continue to work under constant shelling and often without electricity. The attacks on the city 40 kilometers from the Russian border have intensified in recent months with Russian forces having opened up a new front in the north of the Kharkiv region.
The Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has opened kindergartens in the subway to help protect young pupils from Russian air strikes. Groups of children spend two hours every weekend at the makeshift facilities, where they learn the basics of math, writing, and drawing.
Svitlana Orikhova has learned not to sleep by day -- too many curious passersby look into her tent. The Kharkiv resident's apartment is still badly damaged from Russian shelling and she worries the ceiling may fall in, so she sleeps in a tent outside.
A Ukrainian firm has developed low-cost boots that can help protect mine-clearance teams from injury. Owner Ihor Yefimenko says the boots, which cost $400 and are 3D-printed, are significantly cheaper than Western imports.
Liliya Samsonova left Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine to escape Russian attacks, but now the 83-year-old has returned and reopened her kids' climbing club. Her young climbers are delighted that life is returning to normal.
A Ukrainian farmer came up with an ingenious way to keep working his fields after they were strewn with Russian mines. He bought a second-hand tractor, fitted it out with homemade armor, and connected it to a remote-control driving device.
Before Russia's war in Ukraine, Olena Avilova's son, Andriy, worked in restaurants and cafes. He dreamed of opening a cafe of his own but died fighting in Kharkiv. Now his mother has brought his dream to life.
Vira Levadna and Nina Podrepna and their families endured months of Russian occupation and nearly a year of suffering in their village outside the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
