If US politicians do not vote for new military aid to help Ukraine get air defenses, Kharkiv risks becoming a "second Aleppo".
Russia is trying to destroy Kharkiv's electricity supply
The mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhov, told The Guardian about this.
Russia's current tactic, he said, is to knock out the city's electricity supply and shell residential areas, terrorizing the 1.3 million residents.
Terekhov said the $60 billion US military aid package currently stalled in Congress was "crucial for us" and urged the West to refocus on the war.
We need that support to prevent Kharkiv being a second Aleppo.
Igor Terekhov
Mayor of Kharkiv
The Syrian city of Aleppo was heavily bombed by Russian and Syrian government forces at the height of the country's civil war a decade ago.
Despite the destruction of the power plant and all the substations by the Russian troops, few residents left the city.
The Guardian writes that Kharkiv remains a bustling metropolis with bustling restaurants and cafes, and some businesses are thriving despite the threat.
Children study either online or in underground schools. Water supplies are continuing, but Terekhov said there were concerns that the Russian military could switch to gas distribution attacks after storage facilities in the west were hit last week.
Zelenskyy called for more air defence to be provided to Ukraine
On April 16, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced that Kyiv would request the convening of a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council regarding the defence of the sky, the supply of air defence systems, relevant systems and missiles.
According to the Air Force spokesman, Ilya Yevlash, Ukraine needs about 25 Patriot air defense systems to effectively repel air attacks by the Russian army.
Earlier, the president said Ukraine needs 25 Patriot systems with 6-8 batteries each.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs team, Dmytro Kuleba, found 100 available Patriots in Europe, but only Germany has agreed to the transfer so far.
