Kharkiv endures daily missile attacks from Russian forces, yet many residents strive to maintain a semblance of normal life.

A Russian guided bomb last Saturday struck the Epitsentr hardware store in Kharkiv, killing 18, including a 12-year-old girl.

Incidents like this have once again become a part of everyday life in Ukraine's second city, ERR reported.

The night preceding ERR's reportage proved no exception to this pattern as Russian missiles hit both infrastructure targets and residential buildings.

"I woke up because the sky had lit up," one local resident, Alina, told ERR.

"Only at that point did I hear the blast, which terrified me. I immediately dashed out to the corridor, with my parents. We then sat huddled there for a long time, fearing another attack," she went on.

Olga told ERR: "I was terrified as the explosion was very strong. I couldn't tell if it had hit our building or the yard below, but my balcony was blown away."

"The city workers have been great, though; they've already fixed everything," she added.

Currently, over a million people live in Kharkiv, down from a pre-war population of around 1.4 million.

The city lies just 40 kilometers from the border and was subject to assaults on day one of the current invasion, but was liberated by the Ukrainian counter-offensive in September 2022.

Despite the renewed strikes, many do not want to leave the city, Olga included.

She said: "I'm scared for the children. I have two kids – aged 12 and 16. I fear for their safety. I love Kharkiv, and don't want to leave. I've been living here with my children since the war broke out. We hope for peace, and that everything will turn out alright in the end."

ERR's Anton Aleksejev and Kristjan Svirgsden have been delivering regular reports from the front since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

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