‘People here are as strong as concrete': the stunning architecture of war-torn Kharkiv
Built as the state industry headquarters of what was then the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, it looks like a three-dimensional game of Tetris, a mighty nest of chunky oblong forms stacked, rotated and interlocked to form a colossal administrative pile. Striding across three city blocks, and towering almost 60m high, it was the tallest office building in Europe for several years, its humungous floor plates connected high up in the air by thrilling sci-fi skybridges. It was far ahead of its time, prefiguring the brawny brutalist complexes that emerged in western Europe and the US half a century later.
'Derzhprom was conceived as the crown of the city,' says Ievgeniia Gubkina, author of a new architectural guidebook to Kharkiv. 'It was the symbol of the capital as a concrete fortress. And now, during the war, it has become the main symbol of our strength and resistance. That concrete will never fall apart – and we Kharkivites are strong as concrete.'
Gubkina, who grew up in Kharkiv, had completed the text for her book just two months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trained as an architect and urban planner, she had been leading tours of her home city for 15 years, and imagined the book as a love letter to the place – a love letter that suddenly became a farewell letter, when she relocated to London with her teenage daughter in July that year.
The resulting publication is, she says, something of an 'anti-guidebook', given that the UK Foreign Office advice now warns against all travel to the region. Seeing Kharkiv through Gubkina's eyes, in text that combines poignant personal reflection with the analytic rigour of an academic, might be the only way you will get to experience the city for some time. The entries about each building remain unchanged, save for the addition of a few details about how the structures have since been mutilated – the drily written notes only emphasising the stark brutality of Russia's invasion. Located just 18 miles from the Russian border, Kharkiv has seen more than 8,000 of its buildings damaged or destroyed in the last three years, including homes, schools, hospitals and cultural facilities – many of them seemingly targeted for their heritage value and place in Ukrainian national identity.
The Derzhprom building, despite being located several miles from the battlefield, was hit by a guided bomb on 28 October 2024. The complex, which was on Unesco's tentative list for world heritage status, had already suffered collateral damage from attacks on Freedom Square, by Russian cruise missile strikes in March 2022 and a kamikaze drone attack in January 2024. But the October strike was from a precisely guided rocket, which destroyed one of the sections of the building, damaging the roof, exterior walls, floor slabs and windows.
The choice of target was no accident. Despite being of notionally Russian origin – having been designed in then Leningrad (although by architects who hailed from Ukraine's major port city, Odesa, and Vilnius, in Lithuania) – the Derzhprom building had always symbolised the autonomy of Kharkiv. It was a monument to the roaring 20s in Ukraine's then capital, built at a time when the city was alive with avant-garde writers, composers, artists and architects. It was a golden age, when Kharkiv was one of the most significant industrial, cultural, scientific and educational centres of the USSR, a period that left a lasting, if often overlooked, built legacy.
The Railway Workers Palace of Culture is another constructivist gem from the era. Designed by Aleksandr Dmitriev, and built from 1927 to 1932, its gently scalloped facade has an elegant art deco air, like a giant accordion being stretched open. It housed a huge concert hall, library, exhibition spaces and dance hall, which hosted dozens of amateur art, music and dance clubs, where railway workers and their families could develop their talents and spend time together. Still in the ownership of the railway company, it was recently restored, and most of its original interiors had remained intact. That is, until March 2022, when a Russian missile attack destroyed most of its windows. A second strike in August that year caused further structural damage, leading to the collapse of the concert hall ceiling, and the loss of most of the interiors to fire.
Gubkina's book doesn't dwell on the destruction. 'I was so tired of the stereotypes,' she says. 'People only see us connected with rubble and war. Yes, Russia has destroyed a lot, but my mission is to show what a rich and resilient place Kharkiv is.'
The sheer variety of riches makes the book a visual treat, even from the armchair. Marvel at the gilded onion domes of the Assumption Cathedral, or the expressionist granite torsos that hold up the Kupetskyi bank and hotel. Gawp at the daring barrel-vaulted roof of the 1960s Ukraina cinema and concert hall, or the cantilevered limestone forms of the brutalist state opera and ballet theatre – a herculean construction project, begun in 1967 and only completed in 1991. It is one of the few venues in the city that has remained operational while under siege, given that one of its auditoriums is essentially housed in an underground bunker. 'It sometimes feels surreal that you can visit a beautiful piano jazz concert in the middle of war,' says Gubkina. 'But that's what gives us hope.'
Other buildings haven't been so lucky. The scale of devastation is brought home in a powerful series of photographs, taken by Pavlo Dorohoi in March 2022, inserted at the beginning of the book. The architectural photographer had been commissioned to shoot a number of sites for the publication, but unexpectedly found himself reporting from the frontline of a war zone, before international press photographers had made it there. One image shows the bombed-out courtyard of the Palace of Labour, originally built in 1916 as the House of Rossiya Insurance Company, but barely occupied before the Bolshevik revolution. 'It is ironic that the building is named after Russia,' says Gubkina, 'and Russia decided to destroy it.'
She returned there last summer, for the first time since the invasion began. 'It was the first moment when I really started crying in Kharkiv. I remembered the complex as a very vibrant place from my childhood, with courtyards full of cafes. Now it was a ruined shell.'
Gubkina winces when I raise the talk of reconstruction plans. In April 2022, just a couple of months after the first missiles were launched, Norman Foster offered his services to the mayor of Kharkiv. The architect lord had been working on several projects in Russia up until the invasion, but he quickly severed ties, and hastily launched his Manifesto for Kharkiv that pledged to 'assemble the best minds in the world' to tackle the 'rebirth' of the city.
The ensuing masterplan, published by the Norman Foster Foundation in December 2023, called for 'a new iconic architectural landmark' as well as 'an iconic, revolutionary mixed-use neighbourhood, dedicated to promoting scientific and technological innovation'. Claims of local engagement and public consultation have been somewhat undermined by the fact that detailed information about the masterplan is only available in English – a language that only a small proportion of the Ukrainian population can understand.
'I think it is strange to build your fantasies about people's needs, without ever asking them what they really want,' says Gubkina. 'People need their buildings to be repaired, so they can return to this city. I don't think they need beautiful fantasies about iconic glass skyscrapers.'
Other Ukrainian architects have been just as wary of Foster's involvement. Oleg Drozdov, co-founder of the Kharkiv School of Architecture, has warned of the risks of 'intellectual colonisation', while his colleague Iryna Matsevko is concerned by 'copy-paste' masterplanning. Urban planning researcher Olexiy Pedosenko has been critical of the lack of transparency and meaningful consultation. 'The message to Kharkivites seems to be: 'We have decided an overarching trajectory without you, but maybe in the upcoming phases, we might consult you,'' says Pedosenko. 'Ukraine is full of expertise, and it deserves better.'
Gubkina is frank about the more pressing matters at hand. 'I'm not sure that a futuristic vision for Kharkiv as a centre of innovation for worldwide enterprises is the right way to spend money,' she says. 'We have a lot of fragile heritage to save and repair right now, and some conservation would be great.'
Architectural Guide: Kharkiv is out now as part of the Histories of Ukrainian Architecture programme initiated by DOM publishers in response to Russia's attack on Ukraine's sovereignty on 24 February 2022
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However, Braze, the former Nato assistant secretary general for public diplomacy, stressed that Latvia would not recognise the occupied territories as part of Russia. She also questioned whether both Ukraine and Russia wanted peace. Switzerland will offer 'immunity' to President Putin despite the war crimes warrant issued by the International Criminal Court on the condition that he comes for a peace summit. Ignazio Cassis, the Swiss foreign minister, said the immunity for the Russian leader would be granted if he 'comes for a peace conference, not for private reasons'. 'We have clarified the legal situation. We could hold such a meeting and we know what needs to be done to ensure it goes smoothly,' Cassis said. 'We can do this despite the arrest warrant against Putin because of our special role and Geneva's role as the European headquarters of the United Nations.' The ICC issued the arrest warrant in March 2023 over the alleged war crime of the deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine. President Zelensky's suggestion that obtaining American security guarantees will require Kyiv buying $90 billion of US arms, an Italian analyst has said. Andrea Margelletti, the head of the Centre for International Studies, said: 'That is not a guarantee but a purchase, which European countries may have to pay for. 'Trump wants to focus on China and can tell his electorate, 'I am out of Ukraine and making money.'' After months in which European Union officials had worked to build up Europe's arms production capability and had tried to convince EU states to buy European arms, he said, any pressure to spend EU cash on American equipment for Kyiv would horrify Brussels. 'The problem is that the US has weapons Ukraine needs which the EU cannot supply. For example, the European Aster missile is not on a par with the Patriot,' Margelletti added. Amid the optimism after the White House meetings on Monday, one Italian analyst was resolutely negative about the prospects of peace, claiming 'war is still inevitable in Europe'. Andrea Margelletti, the head of the Centre for International Studies, said that Putin would use a ceasefire in Ukraine to spend two years rearming for a future conflict on the continent. 'Right now he is using in Ukraine what he produces, so peace gives him a chance to rearm,' he said. Margelletti dismissed the chance of security guarantees halting another incursion in Ukraine. 'The only guarantee is to send tens of thousands of European soldiers into Ukraine and I mean combat troops with rules of engagement, not peacekeepers,' he said. Many questions on a future path to peace remain unanswered after the summit on Monday, with few concrete resolutions made despite a show of unity from all involved. Nevertheless, the meeting represented a moment of progress in a conflict that has long been mired in diplomatic stalemate. Here are five key takeaways from the President Trump's meetings with the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and Nato. • Read in full: Five key takeaways from the White House visit The Ukrainian security service and national police claim to have dismantled a Russian military intelligence network accused of directing air attacks on Kyiv and sabotage in southern Ukraine. According to investigators, the cell consisted of four members: two direct agents, a 'liaison' and the Russian GRU officer, Maksim Chachin. Investigators said a former professor at a top Kyiv university recruited one of her students, a 27-year-old resident, into direct contact with Russian forces before later introducing him to a 40-year-old former serviceman with knowledge of Ukrainian military locations. The former professor left for Russia in 2021. 'Together they visited the relevant locations, marked them on Google Maps and sent the information to their handler to prepare missile and drone attacks on Kyiv,' the security service wrote on Telegram. Later the group moved to Odesa to lay low before receiving orders to set fire to two mobile communication towers and several power substations. 'They also prepared to carry out bombings with improvised explosive devices, which the SBU [security service] prevented,' it added. Kyiv is now working on the content of security guarantees that Ukraine is seeking from allies and the conversation will continue between leaders on Tuesday, President Zelensky has said. 'National security advisors are also in constant contact now. There will be security guarantees,' Zelensky said. The Russian foreign minister said that it was clear at the Alaska summit on Friday that President Trump and his team 'sincerely' wanted to achieve a long-term and sustainable peace in Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov said that the atmosphere at the summit with President Putin was 'very good'. 'It was clear that the head of the United States and his team, firstly, sincerely want to achieve a result that will be long-term, sustainable, reliable,' he told Russian state television. Lavrov contrasted what he said was the constructive US position with that of Europe. Referring to the White House summit on Monday, he said: 'The Europeans had … insisted at every turn only on a cease-fire and that after that they would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine.' After the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, took credit on Monday at the White House meeting for coming up with the idea of offering Ukraine Nato-style security guarantees, one of her key advisors has explained how Rome believes the plan can work. The cabinet undersecretary, Giovanbattista Fazzolari, said that the guarantee would be based on an 'international deal between volunteering countries'. As opposed to Nato, the resulting alliance would not hold exercises or station troops in Ukraine, he said. 'This would make it more acceptable to Putin,' he said, according to Italian media. Fazzolari added that Italy would not oppose French and British plans to deploy troops in Ukraine but would not take part itself. Lithuania has outlined its plan to build a 30-mile array of defences along its borders with Russia and Belarus, including minefields, trenches and anti-tank ditches. The fortifications are part of the Baltic Defence Line, which Lithuania and its neighbours Estonia and Latvia have begun constructing along more than 800 miles of their frontiers as a deterrent against a putative invasion. The first layer will be about three miles deep, running from the existing metal border fences, through a ditch and a field of 'dragon's teeth' anti-tank obstacles to a series of defensive positions for infantry. It will also feature a strip mined with explosives after Lithuania and several other frontline Nato members announced their withdrawal from the international convention prohibiting the deployment of anti-personnel landmines. France, Britain and other European allies will lead a 'reassurance' force with 'several thousand' boots on the ground in Ukraine, according to European sources. The force, mainly for training and logistics, would rapidly reinforce Ukraine in the event of a conflict and would be based in non-conflict lines or the frontline and not in disputed territories. 'It will be a presence of allied forces alongside Ukraine to show our fates are linked,' a French diplomat close to the talks said. The main pillar of a security guarantee for Ukraine to prevent future Russian attacks after any future peace deal would be strong Ukrainian armed forces, dubbed a 'steel porcupine', supported with European military assistance. Although Italy and Poland would not provide military personnel in Ukraine, a wider European coalition would be ready to support Ukraine if it was attacked. President Trump claimed on Monday to have ended or prevented 'six wars', while a list provided by the White House named seven. Many of the conflicts have not been entirely resolved, however, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are ongoing despite his promises to end them. The White House list comprises the wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand and two from Trump's first term: the diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia, which is not typically considered a war, and the tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, who signed a limited economic agreement broked by the United States in 2020. The American president is known to be keen to win a Nobel Peace Prize, to match the one previously awarded to Barack Obama in 2009. • Read in full: the background to his claim The mood in Ukraine is cautious after the meeting in the White House on Monday. The Ukrainian political commentator Vadym Denysenko wrote that it was a 'cold shower' for Donald Trump after criticism of his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska by the American media. Denysenko suggested that Putin would defer the proposed trilateral meeting for as long as possible, adding: 'A meeting with Zelensky would mean that one of the main 'trump cards' he pulled out of his sleeve at the right time, namely the thesis of Zelensky's illegitimacy, would be nullified.' The prominent Ukrainian serviceman Kyrylo Sazonov wrote: 'There are no reasons to uncork the champagne. There are no reasons to cry and consider this a defeat either. 'It is clear that the Kremlin will drag it out … the bunker rat expects that the front will collapse and we will quickly retreat… We will hold the front, strike and wait for the collapse of the Russian economy.' Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has rowed back on a suggestion from his foreign minister that Berlin is reluctant to send troops to help secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. After a summit in Washington with Presidents Trump and Zelensky and other European leaders, Merz said that Germany had a 'big responsibility' towards Ukraine and he was prepared to consider obtaining parliamentary approval for a military deployment. Thomas Röwekamp, a senior MP from Merz's Christian Democratic Union party and chair of the Bundestag's defence committee, said it was 'probable' that Germany would put boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Russian attacks overnight show 'how critical it is to end the killing, achieve a lasting peace and ensure robust security guarantees', the Ukrainian foreign minister has said. Russia attacked the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk with drones overnight, the largest attack so far in August, with 270 drones and 10 missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force. Scores of blasts shook the city, targeting energy and transport infrastructure, leaving hundreds of people in the Poltava region without power. Andrii Sybiha wrote on X: 'In this sense, the future meeting of leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia can bring a breakthrough on the path to peace.' President Macron has called President Putin an insatiable 'ogre' who wants to devour Europe, in an interview on French television. After his session with President Trump, President Zelensky and the other European leaders in Washington on Monday, Macron told the LCI news channel that the Russian leader had never kept his word and had constantly sought to undermine Europe since he started trying to capture territory, beginning with Georgia in 2008. 'So, for his own survival, Putin needs to keep on eating. He is a predator, an ogre at our gates,' Macron said. 'I'm not saying that France is going to be attacked tomorrow but he is a threat to Europeans. We shouldn't be naïve'. As a country that spent 40 per cent of its budget on its armed forces and had mobilised an army of 1.3 million personnel, 'Russia is not going to come back to peaceful ways and a democratic system overnight', he added. The French president has been frustrated by widespread indifference in France to his warnings over Russia's apparent belligerent intentions. Macron's opponents in the hard left and hard right blocs are hostile to the United States and share much of the Kremlin's view on the Ukraine conflict. Europeans want a quick peace summit between Presidents Trump, Putin and Zelensky to be held in a neutral country in Europe, with Geneva in Switzerland emerging as a favoured venue. Talks in Washington on Monday have given a two-week deadline for holding the summit and Europeans fear that Putin will use the lack of a ceasefire to intensify the Russian offensive and grab more land. While the Kremlin has not publicly announced its agreement, a senior US administration official has said the meeting could take place in Hungary. Europeans will reject pressure on Ukraine to give up Donbas regions, although Trump assured President Zelensky in Washington that he would not broker a land swap over his head. António Costa, the president of the European Council, has convened a video call of the 27 European Union leaders at noon UK time, after a meeting of the coalition of the willing. The EU is expected to impose harsher sanctions on Russia if Putin does not come to the table within a fortnight. President Trump was caught on a hot mic telling President Macron that President Putin 'wants to make a deal'. The American president whispered to his French counterpart, 'I think he wants to make a deal,' before adding: 'I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.' Trump made the hushed remarks after a meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office and before heading for talks with European leaders. It was unclear when Putin may have indicated his intentions for a deal but Trump was reported to have interrupted the Washington summit to brief the Russian leader and discuss the next steps. Americans are to join the coalition of the willing talks with a ten-day deadline to draw security guarantees for Ukraine, according to President Macron and senior European diplomats. Sir Keir Starmer will chair talks this morning with Macron, according to the French leader. 'We will then launch concrete work with the Americans to see who is ready to do what,' Macron told the French TF1 radio on Tueasday morning. The prime minister told the BBC that 'we're now going to be working with the US on those security guarantees. We've tasked our teams, some of them are even arriving [today], to start the detailed work on that.' President Trump's promise to 'coordinate' and to 'be involved' in security guarantees is seen as a 'breakthrough' by Starmer and others on the European side. 'We want to believe it,' a European diplomat said. Macron said the European emphasis will be on 'a robust Ukrainian army capable of resisting and deterring any attempt at attack. No restrictions on numbers, capabilities or armaments'.
