Kharkiv today is a city without windows. And this is not a metaphor: since the beginning of the full-scale war, more than 220,000 windows have been smashed here – more than in an average European city. This was stated by Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov.
According to him, 71 thousand windows were smashed in residents’ apartments, and another 35 thousand in entrances. Half of all the destruction is in the Saltovsky massif and the Kyiv district of Kharkiv.
But the problem is not just the number of destroyed windows – there is nothing to replace them with. “Our production capacity is not enough even for Kharkiv. And there is the whole of Ukraine,” the mayor said.
Currently, holes in the walls and window openings are being covered over and over again with OSB boards – sometimes several times in the same place due to repeated missile and drone strikes. Terekhov emphasized that winter is coming, and the cold is unforgiving.
“Windows are not just about warmth. It’s about life. It’s about children who should fall asleep in safety, not behind OSB boards,” he emphasized.
The mayor said that the city authorities are not sitting idly by. To speed up the restoration process, they are opening mobile ASCs in the affected areas and attracting international assistance. Thanks to our partners, 12,000 windows have already been installed, and another 3,000 are in the process of being installed. The eRecovery program has supported more than 13,000 families.
However, this is not enough. Igor Terekhov appealed to the governments of partner countries and cities, international organizations, charitable foundations and businesses to join forces to help Kharkiv prepare for winter.
“We can fix it. Together,” said Terekhov.
