The 13th Khartia Brigade has become one of the most visible and fastest-growing formations within Ukraine’s National Guard. What began as a volunteer unit defending Kharkiv in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion has since expanded into a corps, operating along some of the most contested sections, including Bakhmut in 2023 and, more recently, the battles around Kupyansk, where it helped retake roughly 90 percent of the city.
Just a short drive beyond Kharkiv, the war reveals itself in fragments: in positions, in improvised workshops, in training grounds, and in the people moving between them.
On a large parking lot in Saltivka, the northeasternmost district of Kharkiv, a white van pulls up. The sliding door opens. Inside are Titan, the driver, Kit and Cat. With a slight smile, I check once more if I heard correctly. Cat is my contact with the Khartia Brigade, an operational unit with a high degree of autonomy, bringing together infantry, artillery and drone systems under one structure. Based here in the city, its presence is hard to miss – its tags and symbols appear on walls, bus and tram stops across Kharkiv and beyond.
We head further north, passing one high-rise after another, long rows of Soviet-era panel buildings. Saltivka is among the areas most frequently hit by Russian drones and missiles. Facades are torn open, entire sections are missing, and some floors are exposed. Almost every block has windows boarded up with plywood.