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Experts say Kharkiv, 40 kilometers from the Russian border, may be the first city to face an attack.
Kharkiv, Ukraine – Mykola Levchencko, a 45-year-old software engineer, is always ready for an invasion; next to his desk is a full set of body armor and a custom-made rifle.
Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, is in many ways the product of its Levchencko environment.
The city is a thriving technology hub with more than 45,000 IT specialists. But since it is only 40 km (25 miles) from the Russian border, it has the potential to attract constant conflict.
Tensions have risen in recent weeks as Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, raising fears of a possible invasion of the country, with Kharkiv, as some experts suggest, the main target.
Olga Shapoval is the head of the Kharkiv IT Cluster, an NGO located in a trendy loft-like concert space facing the city. The NGO has been supporting the city’s technology industry since 2015.
“Now we call Kharkiv the Silicon Valley of Ukraine,” he said, adding that the industry has doubled in the last seven years.
Shapoval describes the current situation as frightening for him and his family, but that it has not yet come to him “in horror.”
He has learned to live with the threat of constant invasion since 2014, but now that tensions have risen, he says many professionals have started working on a “Plan B”.
Mykola Levchencko, a 45-year-old software engineer, is an army reservist who trains weekly with other locals to prepare to defend her city. [Nils Adler/Al Jazeera]The success of the city’s IT industry is due to many factors, including its long history as an engineering hub, numerous educational and research facilities, and low cost of living, making it an attractive investment for international companies seeking young talent. .
It is also the result of efforts by organizations such as the Kharkiv IT Cluster to rebuild the confidence of global companies that were horrified when the 2014 conflict in eastern Ukraine began.
In the center of Kharkiv, the atmosphere is calm.
Families skate on a temporary ice rink, and international students mingle in the many cafes in the main square.
Life goes on normally in Kharkiv, as fears of a Russian invasion are ignited [Nils Adler/Al Jazeera]Satyan, 23, and Mukul, a 21-year-old student from India, describe their mood as “chilled” but are aware that the tension has increased.
In the event of an invasion, most international IT specialists and students could relocate.
But for locals like Levchencko, this is not an option.
“Our families are very nervous,” he said. “We don’t have the financial capacity to relocate with our children.”
The survival of the city’s IT sector is also crucial for the country. Shapoval estimates that about 200,000 local jobs depend on Kharkiv’s computer industry and is the main source of tax revenue for Ukraine. The local industry supports many military IT and cybersecurity infrastructures.
Satyan and Mukul, international students from India who live in the Ukrainian city, are aware of the geopolitical tensions, but are still not too worried. [Nils Adler/Al Jazeera]According to local sources in the territory, a potential invasion would likely have surrounded Russian troops in the beginning. This leaves the possibility of a long siege, which could scare away many international companies in the field of education, finance and health in Kharkiv.
Levchencko is also an army reservist, training weekly with other citizens between the ages of 30 and 65 to prepare to defend his city in the face of a possible attack.
Recently, he has seen many of his professional computer colleagues join his unit. He estimates that it would take him only five minutes to get ready to fight.
Olga Shapoval describes the current situation as frightening for her and her family [Nils Adler/Al Jazeera]
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