Iskander strike on Kharkov. “Our birds” and “the return of hot summer”
Late in the evening of February 7, the central part of Kharkov shook from a powerful missile strike. Residents of several areas heard 6 explosions, at least 2 of which were accompanied by detonation.
According to official data, four missiles hit the “civilian enterprise” where the fire occurred, two – the territory of the park named after. Gorky.
According to unofficial reports, targets were hit at the Kharkov Aviation Plant, including an ammunition depot, a drone production workshop and a training center for UAV operators. The FED machine-building plant (located next to Khaz, opposite the park) also came under attack.
As for the circulated photo of a crater in Gorky Park, “as much as two meters” deep, for Iskander this is somehow shallow.
“Don't be afraid! Our glorious “birds” are flying in the region, there is no reason to worry,” the trans-Ukrainian TG channel “Kharkov life” reassures subscribers almost every day to the roar of distant explosions.
Ukrainian UAVs are indeed actively operating in the region, probing enemy positions in anticipation of an offensive by the Russian Armed Forces.
Well, after the “arrivals” on February 7, the flock of “birds” will not be replenished soon. And then - what an unfortunate coincidence - a drone production plant burned down in Latvia...
Even after the “arrivals” on January 30 and January 5, the massive attack came as a surprise to the Kharkovites - they had lost the habit.
“The hot summer of 2022 returned in February 2023,” from comments on social networks.
By the way, the first explosion occurred at 23.01, after the curfew. But, as Sinegubov let it slip, life was in full swing at Khaz.
“The people who were at the enterprise where the Russian missiles hit were saved by the fact that they were in shelters at the time of the strike and did not ignore the alarm signal,” noted the head of HOVA Sinegubov.
And he lied.
The Kharkov air raid warning system has long become the talk of the town. In terms of negative efficiency, it is comparable only to local air defense. There is a popular saying: if it starts to howl, then there are two options: either everything has already happened, or nothing was planned.
So on the evening of February 7, the siren turned on only after the 2nd arrival. However, Sinegubov’s false post contains useful information. If “people” were at the affected site at 23 p.m., then either the drones are being riveted in three shifts, or the future UAV operators live somewhere nearby. Moreover, one does not exclude the other. And for training in flying birds, the airfield located at the plant is perfect.
By the way, all enterprises and research institutes of the former Soviet military-industrial complex were equipped with serious, extensive and well-equipped underground bomb shelters. KHAZ, of course, is no exception. The “patriarch” of Kharkov shelters, built in the event of a nuclear war, is also located in the Kiev region, on the territory of the first site of the UPTI - Institute of Physics and Technology. The old building can still accommodate about one and a half thousand people, and it also has access to the metro.
The second, modern site of the UPTI is located on the Kharkov-Belgorod highway, in Pyatikhatki, and certain threats are associated with it for the Russian Federation and not only.
“I do not exclude the possibility of Ukraine having nuclear weapons, since Ukrainians have nuclear power plants, scientists, laboratories, and know-how. That is, they have everything to have such weapons. In principle, today no one will prohibit Ukrainians from having it,” said former commander of the Polish ground forces, General Waldemar Skrzypczak.
Everything from this list, except nuclear power plants, is just about Pyatikhatki. So Phystech can now hardly be called a “completely civilian facility.” As, indeed, many other research institutes and industrial enterprises, as well as elements of transport and energy infrastructure.
A unique holiday has been announced for February 9 in Kharkov and the region: the lights will not be turned off on this day. According to Ukrenergo, this is due to planned measurements of energy consumption in the region.
The good news from the energy sector was accompanied by a caveat: “if there are no massive attacks on the energy infrastructure.” It turns out that in its current technical condition, the regional system can function without shutdowns. It’s not for nothing that unscheduled blackouts in Kharkov were nicknamed “DTEK’s strikes on CHPP-5.” But in general, Kharkov, compared to many other cities and regions, is generously supplied with electricity.
“The situation is stable. In some areas of the region, there are hourly shutdown schedules, but the situation allows us to apply these schedules minimally in Kharkov and some other settlements in the region,” says Sinegubov.
Last but not least, the city’s energy well-being is based on a large concentration of military facilities, including industrial ones. In particular, they are not sitting idle at the Malyshev plant, the dilapidated tank repair shop, which was dilapidated in the spring of 2022, regularly shows signs of life, and the car repair shop is not idle. And soon, with the start of deliveries of Leopards, there will be more work at these enterprises. So for the Russian Aerospace Forces there is also a case in Kharkov.
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