Infobae in Ukraine: Secret and exclusive interview with Igor Terejov, mayor of Kharkov: “Russians have already attacked 100 civilian targets in the city, it is an attempt at genocide”

The appointment for the interview is inaccurate: “Around such an hour you must be around such an area.” There is not and cannot be too much information: Igor Terejov, mayor of Kharkov, is today one of the most important military targets in the city. So far in the invasion, Russian forces have already taken 14 mayors hostage in their attempt to secure the surrender and seizure of each city. But Kharkiv has already announced it many times: they will not give up.

Russian troops do not listen to the message: more and more tanks are accumulating around the city and launching more missiles. His idea seems to be to take control of Kharkov and make it a fundamental basis for the rest of the invasion. It is the second largest city in Ukraine in terms of size and importance, and it is also the second largest city in its level of destruction. According to official data, more than 1100 buildings were attacked, of which more than 900 were residential.

Terejov did not imagine this management. For a decade he was the right-hand man of Mayor Gennady Kernes, but not the man who made the decisions. He came to power elected by the people in November 2021, after Kernes died of COVID.

His life, however, changed in February, not before. In the first week of the invasion, hundreds of bombings fell in the city center and even its own office was attacked. Today the general administration of the city is a cracked building, no longer glass windows or door frames. A Ukrainian flag hung on the front but no longer flies, injured by one of the impacts that left it as if stuck in a window.

“This is an attempt at genocide against the Ukrainian people,” he will say in the interview, from the underground of a place that we cannot mention and which was, in any case, a temporary refuge to have this talk, which had to be kept secret until we were separated from him.

- How is the situation in Kharkov today?

-The situation is very difficult, there are many bombings every day. It is very difficult for the population to live in these circumstances, many have left the city.

- How many people left town?

-One third, roughly 500 thousand people.

- Do you have information on how many people died in Kharkov?

I have the numbers but it's not good to give that information so I can't answer. I can say that in the last two days there have been many very intense bombings, one of them in a humanitarian aid center, where people who were going there to receive help were attacked.

- Can you assure that Putin is targeting civilians or only military targets?

-They targeted civilians specifically, not just the military. Russian troops committed many war crimes, nearly 100 civilian targets were attacked, and many residential buildings destroyed.

- How do the people of Kharkiv resist what they are experiencing?

-Understand that it is a real war, a war against Ukraine, against Kharkiv. It is a genocide against the people of Kharkiv, a genocide of civilians and we are rising up for freedom, for our independence, that of our families, that of our children, and we are going to defend our territory.

- Are you ready to resist at any cost?

-Of course.

- Where are the Russians exactly now?

-That's better to ask the Ukrainian soldiers, I can't talk about it.

- How do you imagine the future of your city?

-After we win, we'll have to rebuild it. Rebuild their bridges, their houses, their infrastructure, their cultural centers, their parks.

-You have been mayor since November 2021. Can you tell me how the people of the city felt about Russia at the time and what they feel now?

-In our city people speak Russian. Our relationship with Russia before the war was normal. It must be understood that almost everyone in Kharkov has a friend or family member in Russia. But we know that the relationship with them and with the Russian Federation will never be the same from now on. We are united against Russian aggression.

- And what will happen to citizens who still want to speak Russian?

-90% of our inhabitants speak Russian and we never exerted pressure not to do so, nor did we have any problems with them. All those stories that they were discriminated against are false.

- Are there still many Russian saboteurs in the city?

I don't have a number but there are still many groups of Russian saboteurs operating, and we have our police working to contain them all.

-This interview is in a secret place, we won't say where it went. You have to be constantly on the move. What is it like to live with a permanent death threat?

There is no difference between the mayor and the inhabitants of Kharkiv. All of us are the same and we fight together. We're all scared, but we're still fighting.

- Is there any safe place in Kharkov?

-No, but we have many shelters, including the subway, where we can protect ourselves.

- Do you have a message you want to give to the world?

“Yes, I want to say that this war must be stopped as soon as possible, and we must reclaim our territories. I also want to talk about our heroes, starting with the army, territorial defenses, volunteers, citizens who are heroically fighting against Russian forces.

-Many people say that Kharkiv could be the next Mariupol, that similar attacks may come. What do you think of this?

-It's impossible to know what the Russians plan to do, we can't say what will happen. We can say that today we are under permanent bombardment and are permanently damaged.

Keep reading: