A Burial in Kharkiv

 

Kharkiv Cemetery Number 18, 26 January 2025. I read that a few dozen soldiers, who died in Russia’s first Donbas incursion in 2014, made up a corner of this graveyard. But, after the full invasion in February 2022, their ranks expanded as far as the eye can see.

One more fallen hero was added to the ranks today but this one was very personal - the son of one of the Hell's Kitchen volunteers, killed on the frontline. The kitchen was closed so that volunteers could attend his burial. Words/coherent sentences don't seem sufficient to convey the magnitude of the experience; these are images/impressions:

- to begin with, the initial shock of the sight of mound upon mound of freshly dug, sandy earth, the graves covered by artificial flower displays, a Ukrainian flag at the head. I was ready for the vastness of the cemetery and the unfathomable number of graves, having seen photos, but not the rawness and immediacy of these piles of earth, not yet settled, and the unsaid implications.

- the lack of formality and hence the intimacy of the occasion - everyone dressed in ordinary clothes, no expensive, shiny, black hearse, just a minivan carrying the coffin, followed by some of the fallen soldier's unit. Following instructions, we lined either side of the road and, as the van carrying the coffin passed, one by one, we dropped to one knee.

- the imposing figure of the orthodox priest in his elaborate robes and hat, and the unfamiliar rituals, the priest walking around the coffin several times, chanting, and, at the end, shaking incense; the body on view in the open coffin, until it is hammered shut and lowered into the grave by soldiers/comrades. As soon as everyone has paid their respects and placed flowers by the coffin, a few of the same comrades quickly and efficiently shovel in the earth and hammer in a simple cross, with the name of the soldier and a photo attached, as is customary here.

- the number of people waiting for, or having just completed, burial of a loved one, many of the straps/belts that are used to lower the coffin into the grave still visible; another burial starting right next to us as soon as ours had finished.

- the inconsolable mother's grief; sadness for a lovely, kind, gentle woman I have known for some time as a fellow volunteer. When I went to give her a hug she thanked me for coming, using the familiar diminutive, "Фіоночка" (Fionochka). 

- as we arrived at the cemetery, located in a high outlying area, the sound of an explosion and smoke rising in some part of the city; at the end, a distant siren wailing.

- the bone-chilling coldness (in the long wait for the burial) and the grey clouds that followed initial sunshine; the endless rows of blue and yellow flags buffeted by the brisk wind...

The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, said, on 1 April, that the number of shellings of the city doubled in March, compared to February. He commented that there has been a change in Russian tactics: Shahed drones fly into Kharkiv airspace in groups and deliver combined strikes on residential areas, critical infrastructure and business facilities. In 30-40 minutes, when rescuers, medics, police and municipal services are working at the site, the enemy aims at them a second time, in a "cold and cynical calculation: more victims, more destruction, more human fear." In the month of March 99 civilians were wounded, including 12 children, and two people died. 

And so it continues. Late at night on 3 April, Russia launched a drone attack against the city of Kharkiv, killing four civilians and injuring 35 others, including a child. The drone struck an apartment building. The following day, 4 April, a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, President Zelenskyy's hometown, killed twenty people, including nine children, in a residential area that included a playground.

The mayor of Kharkiv declared a day of mourning on Sunday 6 April.

During the night of 8 April, Russia launched waves of Shahed drones in a massive, frightening attack on this city. There were at least 20 explosions that caused multiple fires and caused huge damage, mostly in an industrial area of Kharkiv. Four people were injured; businesses, warehouses, factories, etc, were damaged/destroyed, including one that made wet wipes! 

It may seem that there's not much positive to say at the current time but, as always, there is the resilience, resourcefulness, kindness and humanity of Kharkivians, and good work being done by the aid organisations here. Your donations helped to brighten the lives of one refugee family, supported by Adults for Children. They were bombed out of their home in Vovchansk, Kharkiv oblast, close to the Russian border, which was destroyed following the Russian incursion into Kharkiv region in May 2024. They are a low income family of 3 children; their father is fighting in the army.

Lastly, a  big thanks to World Central Kitchen (a constant, reliable presence here and in other world crisis situations) for funding our last delivery of flour, which means that some funds can be diverted to meet other needs in Hell's Kitchen. 

To make a donation, please:

Open PayPal and, when asked for email, enter sunflower_house@hotmail.co.uk

These are the causes to which I regularly donate - you can specify where you would like your money to go, otherwise I will send it where I think the need is greatest:

Adults For Children supports families displaced by the war.

Hell's Kitchen - funding for daily, nutritious meals to hospitals and fuel costs.

Franklin, Hell's Kitchen foreign volunteer coordinator, supports local soldiers and medics.

Fabric for camouflage netting, ghillies and stretchers/seamstress costs.

If you would like to donate to charities that support animals - Animal Rescue Kharkiv.