In Kharkiv's rubble, hatred for Russia is strong

Despite the carnage that has been inflicted on the people of Kharkiv, they say that their relatives in Russia refuse to believe that anything untoward has happened to them. The irony, Galina says, is that “Kharkiv is — or at least was ― a pro-Russian city! Everyone here speaks Russian and has family over the border.” But now sympathies for Russia have evaporated, replaced with burning hatred. Perhaps unexpectedly, it is here in the Russian-speaking east that you hear the most passionate denunciations of Putin and the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Previously, western Ukraine, with its closer links to central European countries like Poland and Slovakia, where Ukrainian is the dominant language, was the most fiercely anti-Russian part of the country. Yet you could still find people here who would say that they do not blame ordinary Russians for the actions of their government and lay the blame for the war on Putin. You do not hear this anywhere now in the east.

Animosity toward Russia has sharpened among people in the east for two main reasons. First, eastern Ukraine has borne the brunt of the indiscriminate destruction that Putin has unleashed. Kharkiv and Mariupol have suffered brutal and cruel bombardments. The second factor is proximity to Russia — and not just in geographical and cultural terms. For many, this feels like a deep family betrayal, as if it is their siblings and cousins firing the shots. In some cases, it is.