What are the people of Kharkiv like? What sets them apart from everyone else? We know a lot about “trempel” and “sho.” But still, what is this notorious “Kharkiv mentality” really like?

We can find some interesting facts on this topic in Lyudmila Gurchenko’s memoirs.

…Arbat. I’d already gotten to know it well when I was hanging around the Shchukin School. I really liked that unusual name—ARBAT. It’s just a wonderful name. And it also reminded me of the streets of Kharkiv…

…For some reason, in every city I’ve been to, I’ve been on the lookout for streets that make me think to myself: “This part looks just like Kharkiv,” or “Oh, and this is definitely our Sumskaya Street!” Well, and this is just like our Kholodnaya Gora. Oh, and here’s my beloved Klochkovskaya… And yet it seems like I’ve been living in Moscow for ten years now…

And indeed, I can say from my own personal experience that no matter where a resident of Kharkiv may be, he always tries to find Sumskaya, Pushkinskaya, Kontorskaya, and other streets that are dear to his heart…