Thread by @MarkHertling

It appears the city of Kharkiv may be an objective of Putin and the Russian Army. My Ukrainian counterpart - Col-Gen Vorobyof - took me on a tour of that city (his hometown) in 2011. My impressions: 1/8

First, it is a beautiful city, and relatively modern. The city had suffered through 4 different battles during WWII, so it was mostly rebuilt. But many buildings had beautiful architecture. 2/

The citizens were very welcoming to me, as an American (likely because of my host’s influence & my Army rank at the time). It was my first taste of samovar tea, but we also had excellent Kharkiv vodka. 3/

It’s an industrial city, and had been home to Ukrainian tank factories during WWII and the Cold War. The Russian artillery school had once been there during USSR times. 4/

During the Holodomor - the “terror famine” - most Ukrainians attempted to flee to this city in hopes of finding food…there was none. Tens of thousands died there due to Stalin’s policies. 5/

Kharkiv had once been the capital of Ukraine, and Vorobyoff told me the large percentage of Russian citizens were furious when Kyiv became the capital. He claimed 1/3 of the city was then Russian (that has likely changed since 2011, and the 2014 Russian invasion. 6/

Vorobyoff died a few years ago from cancer…he was convinced it was the result of downwind from Chernobyl. But he was a true Ukrainian patriot who wanted to build his Army on the western model. 7/

My experiences with Mikhail were my first real connection with Ukraine’s distinct culture, and it infuriates me that madman Putin will attempt to rape this beautiful sovereign country. Here’s my memory of him 8/8