From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 693):
The Lord reigns;
he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed;
he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established;
it shall never be moved.
Psalm 93:1
When the full-scale war began, we were constantly wondering if we were safe enough in the village or had to move closer to the border. Once the Russians were kicked out of the north of Ukraine, I could breathe easier and felt more at peace about my friends who stayed in Kyiv, even though I was wondering how they survived the missile attacks and blackouts. However, many would say (and we ourselves see it now) that life in Kyiv feels almost ordinary now, with a few significant peculiarities.
At the same time, some cities keep being shelled every day because of their proximity to the enemy. How do people survive there? Is there life? How is it possible? I kept wondering about it, and a couple of days ago, I came across a Facebook post by Olena Pavlenko about life in Kharkiv, which is located about 30 km (20 miles) from the border and is shelled from the Russian territory daily.
Olena paints a pretty somber picture, saying that Kharkiv is now a city of severe and weary people who lack sleep and have high anxiety levels. She says she noticed more people buying and consuming alcohol as it seems to be their only way to get some stress-free rest (which, of course, isn’t an effective long-term solution, but I guess it’s hard to keep the long-term impact in mind when your life can be cut short any moment).
Olena uses an image of Kharkiv as a city of clenched teeth because people who stayed there do so out of their resolve — public transportation drivers, cashiers, journalists who record shelling aftermath, volunteers who fix military equipment and send aid to the frontline, and all those who have nowhere to go and those who stayed to care for them, those who don’t want Kharkiv to become a ghost town.
One of the common adjectives used to describe Kharkiv is “made of reinforced concrete (ferroconcrete),” I think it also applies to the people who stay there.
I’ve been to Kharkiv only once, more than ten years ago, but I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to visit it again. Please, pray for Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, and smaller towns mercilessly shelled or attacked with drones.
Voice of Ukraine 
5 responses to “1/18/2024 – Kharkiv: How do people survive there? Is there life? How is it possible?”
Praying- Lord have mercy to the people and places experiencing daily bombing. Give them reprieve from constant attacks and give them hope. Jesus be glorified in amidst the destruction.
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Dear Ira,
Just today, I finished reading a book by a 12 year old girl from Kharkiv who daily journaled her experience from the terrible invasion on February 24, 2022.
It is so said what the evil enemy is doing to these cities in Ukraine.
One day there will be justice! God’s justice and His victory!
Love in Christ,
Jill
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What do you do? What do you think? When you pray; and God waits? ‘Whatever my God ordains is right.”
“My ways are higher than your ways; My thoughts than your thoughts” Isaiah 55.
When Mary and Martha prayed Jesus to come and heal their brother, “Jesus loved them, so He stayed two days longer in the place where He was… When He came, Martha fell at His feet and said ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!’ ”
Yet Jesus’ plan was bigger and better. When He raised Lazarus from the grave, “many who had come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them, when they saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, believed in Jesus.. ‘that the Son of God may be glorified’!” [John 11]
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Our Father in heaven,
Deliver us from evil,
Give us today our daily bread.
Lead us not into temptation.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.
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