Under the Gun: Brave Kharkiv
Plus: Even if Bakhmut falls, it's still a sign of Russia's weakness
“Hell on earth. Like a constant bad psychedelic trip.”
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by Joe Lindsley
Tuesday night was harrowing in Kharkiv: Six Russian missiles struck Kharkiv's city centre in the space of less than a dozen minutes. Here, in my daily Ukraine report on Chicago’s WGN Radio, I describe what it felt like under that Russian terror:
My daily Ukraine report on Chicago’s WGN Radio—opening with Scorpions’ “Winds of Change”—and with some terrifying sounds of the Tuesday attack
Whenever in Kharkiv, I have often gone on runs through Gorky Park, and while doing so, I listen to "Winds of Change" by the band Scorpions,. They were singing about another Gorky Park, in Moscow, in 1991, with hope amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Many nations formerly under the Iron Curtain, such as Ukraine and the Baltics, found freedom and prosperity, but Russia seems the same as it ever was. One of the missiles that hit Kharkiv Tuesday struck the city’s lovely Gorky Park, so that song was top of mind.
Of those six missiles that shook Kharkiv city Tuesday night, four seemed to have their target, a civilian industry facility. And fortunately because the attack was at night, the missile that hit the park hurt no one. And already by midday Wednesday, volunteers and workers can patched up the crater. Resilient Kharkiv!
What’s the Actual Story in Bakhmut?
Six massive missiles striking the centre of Kharkiv barely warrant international headlines now. Instead, when it comes to Ukraine, Bakhmut dominates the headlines, but not in an accurate way.
Consider this from the BBC Wednesday 8 February: “Borrowed time for Bakhmut as Russians close in.”
This completely skews and misses the story — making Bakhmut into some amazing gem for Russia. The same nation that thought it could take Kyiv, the seventh largest city in Europe, in just a few days, has struggled for some eight months to take a small city, less than 100,000 before the war.
Yes, they have have shelled the city into oblivion, but the way the Ukrainians, with old Western weapons, have protected their major cities while keeping the Russians at bay in Bakhmut. To reflect reality, the headlines about Bakhmut should be more like this:
Russians Continue to Destroy Small City They’ve Been Unable to Capture
And as President Zelenskiy said in London yesterday, speaking in the Palace of Westminster, if the West can give Ukraine modern advanced weapons like fighter jets, this Russian evil can be stopped much more quickly.
Still, the situation in Bakhmut is brutal. So many people here—including me—know people who have been wounded or killed in or near there.
I asked a Ukrainian friend who has been in Bakhmut for weeks what it is like there. His reply:
“Hell on earth. like a constant bad psychedelic trip.”
Which reminds me of a photo I saw of a patch on a Ukrainian soldiers backpack in Bakhmut late last year: "God, when I die young, let me go to Paradise, because I've already been to hell.”
Stories, Sounds, and Facts of War: Every weekday, Ukrainian Freedom News’s Joe Lindsley, an American in Ukraine since the pandemic started, gives a live war report on Chicago’s WGN Radio. You can listen and watch below. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch all our stories.
More videos:
US Support for Ukraine: Not What It Seems
Amid the Snowy Ruins, Here are Scenes Both Tragic and Hopeful from Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine
Singers, Medics, Soldiers Cry ... and Sing—in a café at the edge of the free world
Fighting tyranny, with songs, jokes, and tanks
ABOUT US: Ukrainian Freedom News: The wild story—so far—of free people standing for democracy, faith, dignity
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American journalist Joe Lindsley, in Ukraine since 2020, leads the Ukrainian Freedom News team of Ukrainians and foreigners on a mission to share real talk and real life in war-time with the world. Every weekday since late February 2022, he has reported live from Ukraine on Chicago’s WGN Radio with host Bob Sirott. You can listen to all episodes at UkrainianFreedomNews.com or via our YouTube channel.
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Joe Lindsley, Editor-in-chief
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