Donated Prague trams are now running on the streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine

Prague donated 20 trams to Kharkiv after many of the Ukrainian city's vehicles were destroyed during the Russian invasion, and they're now running on the municipality's tracks. Kharkiv's mayor presented the new trams to local media on Friday.

The city was one of the hardest hit during the early days of the invasion, and the tram depot was a specific target for Russian bombardments. According to officials, some of Kharkiv's tram lines have been out of service since the start of the invasion one year ago.

Two lines - 16 and 16A - went back into service for the first time in exactly one year yesterday. And they were able to do so thanks to trams donated from the Czech Republic, specifically the cities of Prague and Brno.

"The tram we are currently on arrived from the Czech Republic," Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov told journalists while inaugurating the new vehicles.

"Our international partners really give us great support, including Brno and Prague. These trams are humanitarian help for Kharkiv."

Prague donated 20 trams in total, which were decommissioned by the city but still fully functional. After the trams from Prague were received last October, they were modified to run on the tracks of Kharkiv. About half of them are now running throughout the city.

"Donated Prague trams are already running through the streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine!" tweeted former Prague Mayor (and current Deputy Mayor for Transport) Zdeněk Hřib this morning.

"In October of last year, we sent 20 trams which were still functional but had already been retired for Prague traffic to the city of Kharkiv. The Ukrainians immediately went to work to modify the trams for their own use."

Prague trams have a long history in Kharkiv. The Czech capital first sold the Ukrainian city trams in 2011, and they rode on the city's rails for over a decade until the start of the Russian invasion early last year.

"The restoration of the tram fleet in Kharkiv represents encouragement and hope that local residents can return to normal life after the end of the war," writes Hřib.

"For us Prague residents, this is another reason to be proud of how Prague helped. And how we will continue to help!"