Sergiy* is a 59 year old man who lives in the Saltivka district of the city of Kharkiv. Home to more than 1.5 million people, Kharkiv has become known as a hotspot for some of the most intense bombardment in Ukraine. Things were not always like this in Ukraine’s second-largest city, known as a thriving student and industrial center with a vibrant arts and culture industry.
Before the war, everything was much different:
Kharkiv was developing fast and living a very cool life. Everyone was happy and prosperous. After the war started, everything changed.
Saltivka district, where Sergiy lives, has been among the most intensely war-affected districts in Kharkiv, and according to REACH’s Damage Impact Analysis conducted in October 2024, has the highest proportion of damaged buildings in need of repair in the city. After three years of intense bombardment, little has changed in Saltivka: “the situation is still unstable now, because of the shelling and the fear” says Sergiy.
For Sergiy, the bombardment became even more real, when a missile strike in his neighbourhood resulted in damage to his apartment. The blast wave destroyed the windows and shattered the exterior balcony, rendering the home unlivable without repair.
“Upon the missile strike, the windows were smashed, so we had to leave our home temporarily and move to another city” recalled Sergiy. The damage caused by the war in Kharkiv affected not only individuals and their living conditions, but also the community in the neighbourhood. “After the missile strike, people were very scared, they started running away from the city to avoid being killed”.
While damage to housing and infrastructure remains widespread in Kharkiv, the city continues to act as a vital hub, holding a substantial number of Internally Displaced Persons from the wider Kharkiv region, as well as increasing numbers of returnees. Ensuring access to safe and dignified Shelter solutions remains therefore a critical means of ensuring these vulnerable populations can meet their basic needs.
With the support of EU Humanitarian Aid, Acted supported Sergiy through repairs to his damaged apartment. This included the complete replacement of his broken windows, as well as the replacement of his destroyed balcony blocks. With the EU’s support, Acted also supported 113 other households with Shelter repairs in Kharkiv oblast since June 2024, and in addition supported a further 387 households with in-kind winterisation assistance including solid fuel and stoves. This ensures that Sergiy and other war-affected households can live in safety and dignity while combatting the harmful impacts of damaged windows to health and wellbeing in the winter period.
We are grateful for Acted for helping us repair our home. Things are only more comfortable now. It’s very good to have windows installed and the heating circuit closed. Now, it is warm during the winter.
Despite the challenges brought on by the war, Sergiy remains hopeful for the future: “I wish for a peaceful sky, the soonest end of the war so that we can start living normally again and can begin to rebuild our city”. Sergiy’s story is one of countless individuals in Ukraine who have faced the impact of bombardment and shelling on their homes. With the support of EU Humanitarian Aid, Acted remains committed to meeting the urgent Shelter needs of vulnerable households across Northern, Eastern and Southern Ukraine.
