The Latest Breaking News from Kharkiv

KHARKIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two Ukrainian breakaway republics as independent, a move certain to further inflame animosities with the West and escalate fears of an invasion that could ignite fighting reminiscent of World War II and redraw the map of Eastern Europe.

KHARKIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin called together his top security officials Monday to discuss whether to recognize the independence of two eastern Ukrainian enclaves under the control of Russian-backed separatists — a move that would further inflame tensions already close to a breaking point.

France urged its citizens on Saturday to leave the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk without delay after a rise in tensions following Russia's military build-up near Ukraine.

Gary Smith, whose wife Helen remains in Kharkiv, voiced his concern, saying ‘I’m here and she’s there, and I can’t do anything about it.’

Viktor, a pensioner, goes to sleep in breakaway eastern Ukraine, listening out for shelling in case he needs to take cover. In the city of Kharkiv, Viktoria Makarova, a building firm manager, is learning to fire a rifle in case of an invasion.

Thousands took to the streets of Ukraine's second-largest city on Saturday carrying banners saying "Kharkiv is Ukraine" and "stop Russian aggression", as the country braced for a possible military offensive from Russia.

The table tennis coach, the chaplain's wife, the dentist and the firebrand nationalist have little in common except a desire to defend their hometown and a sometimes halting effort to speak Ukrainian instead of Russian. The situation in Kharkiv, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from some of the tens of…

Some people in Ukraine's second-largest city are preparing to fight back if Russia invades

As tensions continue on the border with Russia, Ukrainian electricians, nurses, lawyers and even priests are volunteering for the country’s Territorial Defence Forces, a civilian reserve intended to support the regular army in case of a Russian invasion. FRANCE 24 met some citizen-soldiers at one of their bases in Kharkiv,…

The northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has drawn international attention since the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, signalled the threat of a Russian occupation of the city last week. For their part, local residents criticised the Ukrainian leader's remarks; they say they are more fearful that destabilisation operations could intensify. FRANCE…

Kharkiv lies just 25 miles from the Russian border and many there have sympathies with their neighbouring ‘brothers’, World Affairs Editor Kim Sengupta reports from inside the city