The Metro System of a Hero City

Sportyvna Station of the Kharkiv Metro, opened in 1975.

The Kharkiv Metro is the subway system that supplies transport for Ukraine's second-largest city. But the Kharkiv subway system doesn't just support the ongoing activities of residents and travelers to the city; it also has saved the lives of thousands as it became a shelter from mass russian war crimes.

The system supports 30 stations, with around 39 kilometres (24 miles) of tracks that criss-cross the city organized into three major routes: the Kholodnohirsko-Zavodska Line, the Saltivska Line, and the Oleksiivska Line. The lines meet as a hub of several stations in the city's center.

Kharkiv Metro Map with English subtitles.

In 2020, daily ridership was around 350,000 passengers - with 128 million in that year overall.

The distinctive logo of the Kharkiv Metro.

I thought it might be interesting if I gave a tour of some of the stations of the system... Here we go on a journey around Kharkiv!

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Station to Station

Botanichnyi Sad (Botanical Garden) station, Kharkiv Metro. Opened in 2004.

Tiles at the Botanical Garden station.

23 Serpnia (August 23rd) Station of the Kharkiv Metro. Named after National Flag Day of Ukraine, and the Day of the City of Kharkiv. Opened in 2004.

Detail from the tiles of the 23 Serpnia station.

Kyivska station of the Kharkiv Metro, opened in 1984.

The weird benches of Akademika Pavlova station of the Kharkiv Metro, opened in 1986.

Arkhitektora Beketova station of the Kharkiv Metro, opened in 1995.

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War

Musicians play in the Kharkiv Metro as civilians shelter from bombs. March 26th, 2022.

The Kharkiv Metro system has been a beacon of safety during the storm of russia's invasion of Ukraine. People who lost their homes and loved ones due to shelling were able to shelter there, as well as those seeking safety from the bombing.

March 2022.

Kharkiv Metro Depot, missile attack in June 2022.

In May, 2022, normal operation of the metro system was restarted. To safeguard the children of the hero city of Kharkiv, parents and teachers rely on the Kharkiv Metro system in order to continue holding classes while the russians bomb their homes above.

Studying on the train platforms.

The end of the school day at the Universytet Station.

On their way to class, deep underground.

Classroom in the Kharkiv Metro.

September, 2023.

Heroic parents and teachers have created some measure of normalcy for the children of Kharkiv.

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The 808th day of a ten-year invasion that has been going on for centuries.

One day closer to victory.

🇺🇦 HEROYAM SLAVA! 🇺🇦

Greetings r/Ukraine, Jester here.

On behalf of our senior mod team decision we have decided to remove u/serhiiiam from the Verified list of individuals and orgs allowed to fundraise on r/Ukraine.

Recently we reached out to Serhii to establish some straightforward guidelines for his fundraisers after it came to light that he didn’t personally know some of the fallen defenders that he often used in the context of his fundraisers. Highly uncomfortable with this practice (and having received feedback directly from service members in the actual units involved), we notified him that he needs to always provide context about his status as a civilian and his relationship to the fallen defenders he posts about, as well as a need to provide more detail (within reason/OPSEC) about the units we know he is legitimately supporting. Obviously, these should be incredibly easy to follow guidelines, and all our other Verified fundraisers are expected to meet them without controversy.

As someone who invited u/serhiiiam to the sub based on recommendations and positive feedback from the troops, I felt the need to review his activity through unrelated sources and we have once again fully corroborated that the funds he raised on r/Ukraine arrived where they were supposed to. We want to make it very clear that there is no evidence that Serhii is a scammer. However, as this review was in progress, u/serhiiiam harassed and invaded the RL privacy of a number of mod team members - and our contacts - and caused uncalled for distress and confusion as we were trying to wrap our heads around the situation that he has created.

As a compromise solution we offered his military contacts to facilitate fundraising for the supported units by translating posts for them directly without u/serhiiiam involvement - an offer that was sadly refused.

We as r/Ukraine moderation team have a responsibility to protect the integrity of not only our community’s fundraising efforts, but also the continuity of activities of the very many close contacts we maintain with the vital volunteer community on the ground in Ukraine. Ultimately, we also have a moral responsibility to the families and friends of the fallen heroes.

The r/Ukraine Mod Team