Two months of full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine are behind us. The resistance shown by Kharkiv's defenders in the first days of the war showed the Russians that no one would surrender the city without a fight. Like Kyiv, the Russians planned to capture Kharkiv in three days. At least, this is what Russian prisoners have testified. Therefore, the enemy hoped to capture Kharkiv through information warfare and terror. Turning Kharkiv residents against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, forcing them to leave, and discrediting the city's defense and the struggle of the Ukrainian people as a whole were the goals that enemy propaganda sought to achieve in Kharkiv.
“You cannot put propaganda above the truth (and 'Ukraine above all' is propaganda), and territory above people's lives (remember how the Maidan protesters wanted to cleanse the rebellious Donbas of its inhabitants?)” (Ukraine.ru).
To create panic in Kharkiv, the Russians spread fake news, predicting a grim fate for the city. Propaganda called Kharkiv “the second Mariupol.” Hostile media literally explained that “the second Mariupol” meant the destruction of the city. But, they said, it was the city's defense that would turn Kharkiv into “the second Mariupol,” not an enemy offensive or shelling.
Propagandists were outraged by Ukraine's “tactics of fortress cities, which bled the Russian army's offensive units dry.” (Ukraine.ru)
At the beginning of the invasion, Kharkiv became such a city for the occupiers. The Kremlin denied the success of the Ukrainian military's countermeasures, calling them an “illusion of resistance,” and accused the Ukrainian authorities of surrendering the city.
The Ukrainian government (with the help of local scoundrels) is preparing Kharkiv for sacrificial slaughter, for the role of a “new Mariupol” — only larger in size. They don't care about the city (the Kyiv authorities never liked it), the population is Russian-speaking — that is, “second-class” — and for strategic purposes (prolonging the war, propaganda, losses for those who are advancing), sacrificing the population and the city is not only possible but necessary.” (Ukraine.ru).
In an interview with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers about his remarkable photographs of the war at the beginning of the invasion, Ukrainian photojournalist Oleksandr Magula, a native of Kharkiv, recalled the special attitude of Kharkiv residents toward the city's defenders.
"The second photograph that I would consider more successful is a portrait of the commander of the Kraken in the destroyed regional administration building. A rocket subsequently struck the building. At the time, I felt that the military were regarded as gods. These are individuals who can protect us, and they are our only hope. The portrait of this commander is my personal embodiment of my attitude toward one of the men who are defending Kharkiv, who bear responsibility. Everyone is waiting for some kind of report from him, for operational information that Kraken has liberated new villages. I remember those first deoccupied villages that Kraken liberated with other units. People had a very reverent attitude toward the military.”
At the same time, propaganda tried in every way to persuade Kharkiv residents to evacuate the city. To this end, the Kremlin launched a whole disinformation campaign.
“While the 'patriots' are having fun and there is a pause in the fighting, civilians should evacuate Kharkiv if possible — so as not to become victims of shelling and possible street fighting. The Ukrainian authorities are not allowing Kharkiv residents to leave for Russia (where tens of thousands of residents could go to relatives and friends), but it is possible to travel to other regions or areas as far away from military facilities as possible.” (Ukraine.ru).
Due to the fact that some areas of Kharkiv were shelled more intensively than others, the humanitarian situation in different parts of the city varied dramatically. In areas that were constantly shelled, there was no electricity, water, or heating, and people were in danger every day. At the same time, in quieter areas of Kharkiv, cafes were opening and flowers were being planted.
Ukrainian photographer Yakov Lyashenko from Kharkiv told the UAAP about two different Kharkivs in the spring of 2022: "When artillery was pounding the city every day, the districts of Saltivka and Piatykhatky were in ruins, people were living in the metro, some had no water, no electricity, nothing; I was constantly taking photos. However, Kharkiv is a big city and not everything looks like Northern Saltivka. I would come home from filming and have internet, heating, and even hot water. It was like a different world at home. I think it was important to capture the 'two Kharkivs'. I am glad that there are areas of Kharkiv that have not been destroyed, that the artillery did not reach.”
Meanwhile, propaganda used the difficult situation in the northern districts of Kharkiv to spread fake news that the city was “under the control of patriots” and was approaching a humanitarian disaster. At the same time, Russia created an image of caring for the residents of the city and the region, talking about humanitarian missions in the occupied settlements of the Kharkiv region.
“Many homes have no electricity, there is not enough food,” reports the Telegram channel ‘Kharkiv Z.’ ”People cannot get medical help, and it is impossible to buy medicine. There is no vital insulin—diabetics are dying every day on the streets. But at the same time, Mayor Terekhov assures everyone that there is no danger and advises them not to leave the city.” (Ukraine.ru).
The Russians also manipulated the issue of financial aid received by residents of the de-occupied territories as part of the first aid package, but not received by the Kharkiv region. The propaganda emphasized that the Ukrainian authorities had resigned themselves to the loss of the city.
“It seems that Kyiv has written off Kharkiv, resigning itself to the fact that Russia will take it.
The Ukrainian authorities are allocating a billion hryvnia for the restoration of the affected regions. But the Kharkiv region is not on the list, even though it suffered more than Sumy and, even more so, than Zhytomyr.
The answer to the question “why?” is quite simple — Kharkiv is not a priority, just like the south-eastern part of Ukraine as a whole. The Kyiv regime has gradually come to terms with the fact that it will not be able to hold on to these regions, so it sees no point in spending money on them.” (Ukraine.ru).
Fact-checkers from StopFake refuted this fake news. The Ukrainian authorities are not considering any territorial concessions. Absolutely all territories will receive financial assistance for reconstruction after de-occupation. This has been repeatedly stated by the President and Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The Russians continued to exert informational pressure on the residents of Kharkiv, spreading fakes about the dismissal of employees of the Kharkiv Heat Networks municipal enterprise by the local authorities. They claimed that the city would not be preparing for the new heating season. However, the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center refuted this fake. From the first days of the war, all employees of the Kharkiv Heat Networks municipal enterprise risked their lives to restore heat supply sources, relocate networks, and repair and replace boiler room equipment. Work to ensure the city's vital functions and stabilize the humanitarian situation was carried out around the clock.
However, the Russians put the most pressure on Kharkiv residents through shelling, accusing the Ukrainian military of destroying the city. After unsuccessful attempts to break through, Russian troops entrenched themselves in the northern and northeastern outskirts and mercilessly shelled the city.
The Russian army first shelled Kharkiv at 5 a.m. on February 24, 2022. In the first months of the war in Kharkiv, the Russians destroyed administrative buildings, demolished a number of schools and hospitals, including maternity wards; the historic city center and residential areas were also attacked, especially in the north: Piatykhatky, Oleksiivka, and Pivnichna Saltyvka. The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers cites statistics on civilian deaths from the State Emergency Service: “According to confirmed data, since the beginning of the war in Kharkiv, the invaders have cynically killed more than 500 civilians, 88 of whom had to be pulled from the rubble by rescuers,” reported the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.
To whitewash the actions of the Russian army, propaganda denied the shelling of Kharkiv. The destruction in the city was explained by propaganda media as allegedly caused by the presence of Ukrainian “military equipment among residential buildings, snipers, and firing points in residential apartments.” In this way, the Kremlin tried to legitimize the shelling of residential areas of Kharkiv.
The propaganda justified this by claiming that “mobile mortars and Grad rocket launchers are moving around the city, sometimes firing to intimidate and terrorize the population,” denying that there were air strikes on the city. However, during the first months of the defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to destroy about 50 air targets over the city, including UAVs and aircraft.
Photographer and videographer Mstislav Chernov, after documenting crimes in besieged Mariupol and liberated Bucha, headed to his hometown of Kharkiv. For three months, he recorded the aftermath of Russian shelling in Kharkiv and the main events of the Kharkiv counteroffensive.
Ukrainian media workers, who have been reporting the truth about the war to the world since the beginning of the war, despite the risks to their lives, have become targets for the Russian army and propaganda.
Mstislav Chernov and his colleagues are called the main photographers and directors of Ukrainian propaganda by the Russians for showing the true face of the “Russian world” in Mariupol.
Chernov's photos from Kharkiv have also not gone unnoticed by Russian propagandists. In particular, propagandist Yulia Vityazeva was quick to slander Chernov's work, linking it to a documented crime committed by the Russian army.
“The quality of the photo is puzzling. It's too professional. You can see high-quality optics and photo editing. Now everything is clear. The author of the “frame for The Hague” is Mstislav Chernov from the Associated Press. He is the same person who, together with his partner Yevgeny Maloletka, worked in Mariupol during the staged bombing of a maternity hospital, for the evacuation of which the Armed Forces of Ukraine developed an entire special operation. As for the event depicted in the photo, it is clearly staged with the obvious use of “special effects.” Simply put, it is another lie to extort money and weapons from the West and dehumanize Russia.
Chernov admitted to the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers that it was especially difficult for him to document Russian crimes in the places of his childhood and youth. “It was a terrible déjà vu — I saw civilians killed by Russian shells, medics risking their lives trying to save the wounded, burning cars, and destroyed houses,” Chernov said.
Here is the same crime captured in Yakov Lyashenko's photographs. On April 21, 2022, two people were killed in a car as a result of a Russian attack on a residential area of Kharkiv.
Over the next few months, Ukrainian troops started to slowly push the Russians out, moving north of the city. In May 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine reached the border with Russia. This prevented artillery shelling and facilitated the further advance of Ukrainian troops. The city authorities announced the resumption of public transport and the return of people to the city.
The successful counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv direction in May 2022 was a significant milestone in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Despite this, the Russians continued to deny the successful actions of Ukrainian defenders. Propaganda claimed that the counteroffensive was a Ukrainian hoax because they had not yet started anything.
“I would not dramatize the situation in the Kharkiv direction and call it a failure. There is no counteroffensive. There are attempts by sabotage and reconnaissance groups to push our units closer to the state border in the Belgorod area. Right now, these few villages (Tsyrkuny, Tishky, Ruska Lozova) are in the so-called gray zone. That's why the lively reports from Kyiv propaganda, led by Arestovych, are 90 percent fake.” (Ukraine.ru).
After the counteroffensive ended, Mstislav Chernov worked in the liberated villages, photographing the extent of the destruction, burned equipment, and bodies of Russian soldiers on the roads.
“In the newly liberated village of Vilkhivka, Mstislav documented the work of ambulance doctors who were removing the bodies of dead Russian soldiers. Mstislav Chernov photographed the personal belongings of one of the dead Russian soldiers, which were found by Ukrainian soldiers for identification purposes. A passport with a red star and a bank card with the symbolic inscription 'peace',” said the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers.
Counteroffensive operations around Kharkiv drew away some of the enemy's forces and resources and prevented them from launching an offensive on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The successful actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine laid the foundation for the liberation of almost the entire territory of the Kharkiv region in September 2022. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) called the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region a probable victory in the battle for Kharkiv.
The history of the defense of the hero city of Kharkiv in the photographs of Ukrainian photojournalists is a story of heroism, unity, and love for their city despite constant terror and intimidation. “It was not just the liberation of land, but the liberation of memory and family history,” said Mstislav Chernov, a resident of Kharkiv, expressing his personal experiences as he recorded the horrific scenes after the liberation of Ukrainian land from Russian occupiers.
Contributors:
Researcher and author: Yana Yevmenova
Image editor: Olga Kovaleva
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Website manager: Vladislav Kukhar
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
