From our special correspondent in Kharkiv – Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv put up a fierce resistance when Moscow's forces launched their full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Russian troops eventually withdrew back to their side of the border, 40 kilometres north of Ukraine's second largest city. But one year on, the people of Kharkiv are still living under the constant threat of Russian missile strikes.
It's six o'clock in the evening and Kharkiv is already plunged into darkness. After nightfall, the only sources of light in Ukraine's second largest city are the car headlights and the portable flashlights carried by pedestrians. Streetlights were switched off shortly after the Russian invasion to make it harder for the enemy to pick out targets at nigthtime. Twelve months on, the city's pitch-dark streets remain a symbol of the enduring Russian threat.
