Ukraine: How renovations allow Kharkiv residents to live through winter with dignity

Kharkiv is a city in north-eastern Ukraine with a population of over one million. Its proximity to the border with the Russian Federation — now the front line — makes it highly vulnerable to various forms of attack. Rockets can reach the city in under a minute, making them almost impossible to intercept. In addition to missile strikes, residents regularly endure assaults by attack drones.

In the spring of this year, drones struck a nine-storey ‘komunalka’ — apartment building that had already been partially damaged by a nearby missile strike in 2022. ‘Komunalkas’ were a common type of multi-family housing in the Soviet Union, where residents occupied individual rooms while sharing bathrooms and kitchens.

The attack caused severe damage to windows and doors throughout the building. While windows in privatised flats can be replaced under government programmes, those in communal areas must be repaired either at the residents’ own expense or with help from donors.

Thanks to funding from Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is implementing a programme in Kharkiv to restore damaged buildings.

In this particular 102-apartment high-rise, the DRC replaced 105 window units in communal areas, one of the entrance doors, and carried out roof repairs.

“A thick carpet saved me from glass shards”

Currently, only 58 apartments in this building are occupied. On the eighth floor, the flat that took a direct hit from the drone remains uninhabitable. The room is completely blackened by soot, and the corridor still reeks of ash.

Liubov, 67, lives next door. She was at home with her children when the explosion occurred, and says a carpet hanging on the wall saved her life.

“It was terrifying. I was covered by a thick carpet that fell from a wall on me and stopped the glass shards — all the glass was flying at you. Luckily, the children managed to run into the bathroom,” she recalls.

Liubov says that the new windows and balcony doors have made a huge difference as winter approaches. The old wooden ones were already in poor condition, and after the blast, they were shattered or badly damaged, leaving the premises exposed to the cold and rain.

“Now it’s much warmer in the corridors and kitchens. It’s a great help. We’re very grateful,” she adds.

The DRC’s renovation project, funded by Switzerland, focuses on assisting 185 households in Kharkiv. Thanks to this support, hundreds of families in a city constantly under fire will be able to face the harsh winter in decent conditions, despite the daily stress of uncertainty that brings life during the ongoing war.