How was the road to Kharkiv?

Our journey was quite peaceful, we came by train that was a bit late coming in. We had a three-hour wait at the Kyiv train station before it departed. The journey to Kharkiv was largely uneventful. The train was packed with humanitarian aid, with two cars reserved for passengers. But we're here now.

How do things look there? How extensive is the damage?

We are told that it is quite extensive. We arrived a little before midnight and reached the apartment of our friends who are putting us up here when the curfew was already in effect. We only made it thanks to local police officers who drove us in their squad car. The streets were completely dark, there was no light anywhere in the city. Everyone is afraid of airstrikes.

What is your latest information on events in Kyiv?

There was talk of two explosions in Kyiv this morning, while even information from the BBC makes it hard to say whether it was a missile hit or the work of Ukrainian air defense. Former President Petro Poroshenko just told us that air defense shoots down a few dozen Russian missiles every day. There are residential areas under constant missile bombardment in Kharkiv, with the city center also serving as a target for Russian bombers.

It was said today that a cold spell is slowing down military activity. Can you feel the cold there?

Yes, we can. We saw no snow in Kyiv yesterday, while everything is covered in it here. I do not know how this weather is supposed to affect the war. I'm placing my hopes with Ukrainian defenders, and not the weather.

What are your hopes in terms of getting home? How do you plan to move on from Kharkiv?

There are trains. If you have internet access, you can visit the Ukrainian railways' website and look at the national timetable for the next day. They might not be accurate, everything gets delayed and anything might happen, but trains are moving in principle.

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