A delegation from Ukraine is coming to Cincinnati July 31 - Aug. 7. The president and executive director of the Kharkiv Red Cross are visiting with eyes on rebuilding their embattled city.
Bob Herring with the Cincinnati Kharkiv Sister City Partnership says their long-term plan is to create a rehabilitation center for people physically and psychologically affected by the war.
“The idea is to come and take a look at best practices here in Cincinnati, state of the art facilities. Obviously, they’re not going to build while the war is still going on but at least getting some background information, laying some groundwork,” Herring says.
Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 15. Herring says according to Kharkiv officials, half of the city's schools are damaged or destroyed, more than 4,000 homes have been destroyed, and about 150,000 people are considered homeless.
He says Kharkiv's mayor is also looking ahead.
“The first 153 days of the war, Kharkiv had been bombed 148 of those days. There’d only been five days with no shelling,” Herring says. “The shelling continues, so there isn’t going to be any rebuild at this time, but he wants to lay the groundwork — the foundation, if you will.”
Herring says it's too soon to say if civilians who have left Kharkiv will return, or if they will find homes somewhere else.
