“City is completely devastated”
Mayor describes destroyed Chernihiv
03/26/2022, 5:18 p.m
No power supply and blocked escape routes – the humanitarian situation in Chernihiv remains catastrophic. Because the city is surrounded by Russian troops, around 44 seriously injured people cannot be treated properly, reports Mayor Atroschenko. This also applies to three children.
The mayor of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, Vladyslaw Atroschenko, has lamented the extensive destruction caused by Russian troops. “The city is completely devastated,” he said. Over the past few weeks, more than 200 civilians have been killed in the city, which is close to the Russian and Belarusian borders. Of the more than 285,000 inhabitants that Chernihiv had before the war, not even half are now left, Atroschenko said. The information could not initially be independently verified.
The mayor described a catastrophic humanitarian situation in his city. Russian soldiers destroyed a bridge leading to Kyiv. Now it is no longer possible to set up escape corridors for civilians. Around 44 seriously injured people could not be taken to safe places for medical care, Atroschenko said. Three children were among those injured.
The up to 130,000 remaining people are also without heating, electricity and water. But you will not give up, emphasized Atroschenko. The cityscape is characterized by numerous medieval churches and monasteries, of which at least two have been damaged according to Ukrainian sources. Ukraine is seeking World Heritage status for the center of Chernihiv.
Governor Viatscheslaw Tschaus announced on television on Friday that Russian troops had surrounded Chernihiv and cut it off from the surrounding area. The city is surrounded by the enemy and is being bombarded with artillery and fighter planes.