Anna Hin: "Why do I stay in Kharkiv? Someone has to be in the city when people need help"

We managed to speak with Anna Hin, a writer and volunteer from Kharkiv, only at midnight, when electricity was restored for a few hours in her building. Kharkiv, a large city near the Russian border, is under constant shelling by Russia.

The situation has significantly worsened since March 22, 2024. That day, Russia almost completely destroyed the city’s power substations, leaving about one million residents without electricity. Simultaneously, a massive disinformation campaign began from the Russian side, claiming that they were preparing to capture Kharkiv. Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov directly called to "wipe Kharkiv off the face of the earth."

In Ukraine, Anna Hin has become one of the voices of her city. Her social media posts—sarcastic, heartfelt, and sometimes humorous—about life in war-torn Kharkiv receive thousands of reactions. Here is her account:

Life in Kharkiv After March 22, 2024

Life in Kharkiv has changed dramatically since March 22. From that day on, we’ve been living almost without electricity. Every day, Russia sends either missiles or Shahed kamikaze drones to the city. The mood is somewhat subdued. However, there is no panic; no one is calling for peace at any cost or succumbing to

Kremlin narratives.

But the melancholy is real. For instance, I live on the 17th floor. When Russia launches 30–40 Shaheds every night, I see them from my window, and it’s deeply unsettling. On top of that, I have a large Doberman, and I have to go up and down three times a day to walk him. It’s physically exhausting.

Animals struggle with the explosions too. During walks, my dog runs away in fear from the blasts, and at home, he hides under the bathtub. I also have a large African parrot, who, stressed by the shelling, starts plucking out its feathers. Believe it or not, I have antidepressants for both my dog and my parrot.

Poor communication (signal) is also frustrating. When something explodes in the city, we don’t immediately know where help is needed.

No Despair

However, I wouldn’t describe our emotions as despair. I don’t see people leaving with suitcases as they did in March 2022. At the start of the full-scale invasion, the city was almost empty, but now, after 6 PM, there are no free parking spaces near my building.

In some ways, the situation is even inspiring because Kharkiv residents support each other immensely. Many businesses have switched to generators, and stores and pharmacies have everything you need. We all have

faith—in victory, our army, international partners, and one another.

Why I Stay

Why haven’t I left the city since the beginning of the war? As pretentious as it might sound, someone has to stay. When something explodes and people lose their homes, someone needs to bring warm tea, sandwiches, clothes, help clear rubble, and sweep up broken glass. That’s what I do because I love my city passionately.

I also volunteer to help the military hospital. It started spontaneously. The hospital initially asked for help buying one TV so our wounded soldiers could watch football. With the help of my followers, we managed to buy 80 TVs, including some for the operating rooms. People even started calling me Anna-TV. Now, I visit the hospital weekly and always bring something they need.

Kharkiv Unites

Interestingly, I don’t see stray, skinny dogs in the city anymore. At the start of the war, there were many starving, homeless dogs. Now, they are all well-fed because dog owners carry extra food to feed them during walks. Kharkiv residents have also sterilized these stray dogs and treated them for fleas and ticks.

It feels like everyone in Kharkiv is a volunteer now. One of my friends focuses on boarding up shattered windows with plywood. Another delivers food and medicine to lonely elderly people. Others help large families. Many support our soldiers at the front.

We laugh at their lies

The Russian propaganda about a potential attack on Kharkiv is nonsense. We laugh at their lies. They couldn’t capture Avdiivka, a town 12 times smaller than Kharkiv, in six months. They take months or even years to capture small villages of 3,000 residents. Kharkiv? No way. Nobody believes it.

I think people here approach these narratives with humor and sarcasm. Even after March 22, when things got very uncomfortable, I haven’t heard anyone hysterically shouting about fleeing the city. They’ll never take Kharkiv. If it comes to it, we’ll defend our city with our bare hands.

A Cry for Help

Our biggest problem is our exposed skies. We urgently need more air defense systems.

People abroad don’t quite understand what’s happening here and try to find reasons why Putin invaded Ukraine. These speculations seem somewhat absurd in Kharkiv. We want to tell them: Putin hates Ukrainians as much as Hitler hated Jews. Hitler burned Jews in gas chambers; Putin destroys us with missiles. Don’t look for reasons.

Do you remember September 11 in New York? Well, in Ukraine, every day is September 11! Every day, Russians commit terrorist acts here.

Some were surprised why we didn’t sympathize with Russians affected by the Crocus City Hall attack. But we live through our own Crocus City Hall every day. This is senseless killing and an unprovoked war.

We desperately need help. We can’t handle this alone. Consider this an SOS signal from Kharkiv.