Infobae in Kharkiv: this is how the largest market was Ukraine, bombed by Russia and captured in a shocking video

We wanted to go to Barabashova Market, an emblematic place in Kharkov. We wanted to see what it looked like after the bombing of March 18, just four days before our arrival in the city. The idea was to register the status of one of the largest markets in Europe, covering an area of 300,000 square meters. The idea was to see if there was a military base around it, an airport, something that explains what doesn't make sense to explain anyway. Until a month ago, everything from clothing to food was sold there, and there is speculation that this is one of the reasons why it could have been attacked: Russian forces were seeking to leave the city without one of its main supply centers.

We wanted to go as soon as we arrived, but they wouldn't let us. Alina, the press officer of the militias in Kharkov, said that a few days earlier it was possible, but in recent days the places already attacked were being attacked again.

After the first bombardments fell, the place burned for days. About 70 people worked to contain the fire and several houses in the surrounding area ended up in ashes. One firefighter was killed in the operation, several were injured, and in between what this video shows happened: while the market was on fire, the Russians attacked again.

The images show the exact moment when, while they were working against the fire, bombardments fell again. The firefighters are seen throwing themselves to the ground and running with the hoses to prevent the fire from spreading, the glasses are seen flying violently after the explosion, some of which seem to hit the camera directly. The area was banned for several days, and only a few days later we were able to approach, when nothing was burning but the smell of burning was still there.

As far as the conflict is concerned, as confirmed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 1,035 Ukrainian civilians have already been killed and another 1,650 have been injured. The true number is inevitably higher, but the figure is about the deaths found.

Among the deceased there are 214 men, 160 women, 14 girls, 28 boys and another 571 adults and 48 children whose sex has not been determined. Most of the deaths were caused by heavy artillery shelling, multiple rocket launchers and air strikes.

Any number seems small when you contrast it with the dystopian landscapes seen all over Ukraine, and even more so in Kharkiv. While the latest news indicates that Russia attacked a nuclear plant in the area, the Barabashova market is halted in its own destruction. He does not have, beyond loneliness, a blanket of silence on him. These are windy days in the East and every second there is a sheet metal coming out, a piece of ceiling that hangs, a glass that cracks or that we just step on. Walking on rubble becomes as common as walking on a paved road.

It does not seem to be a natural wind that blows but one born of the war itself. A man arrives at the market while we go through it. He approaches a door of a place that strangely stood and opens it. In and out in a few minutes to look for something. He doesn't want to talk, he just says he lost everything and points into his store. It is, like everything, glass and disorder. Until a month ago, the market was defined in Lonele Planet, the famous travel magazine, as follows: “For the best post-Soviet bazaar experience, cheap jeans and Vietnamese food, head to the Barabashova market, which competes with similar bazaars in Odessa for the title of 'largest in Europe'. It's really a huge place where they sell cheap Chinese clothes and all kinds of pirate products.”

Today none of that is achieved. Yes, instead, an image of destruction. Yes, this message that we see on every corner of Kharkiv: war is here, war will fall on everyone who wants or does not want to see it.

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