Russian forces captured Kherson, a major port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine early Wednesday after heavy bombing and shelling. The Ukrainian flag was still flown on government buildings and the city’s mayor. Ihor KolykhayevStay in your position.
On Saturday, Kolykhayev announced that Russian forces were everywhere, and that the city of about 300,000 people was without electricity and water, and in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Kolykhev said that the Russian army “settled” in the city and showed no signs of leaving.
“We need a lot of people here. We have cancer patients here. Children who need medicine. This medicine just isn’t reaching them,” he told CNN.
People living in Kherson under Russian occupation Describe the days of terror confined to their apartments and homes, afraid to go out even for basic necessities – their city is now a dystopian shell of the home they knew and loved.
Five residents of Kherson told CNN in recent phone calls that checkpoints operated by Russian troops pepper the city’s streets. The streets are almost empty as residents have either fled the fighting, or are staying indoors for fear of encountering Russian soldiers. Residents and officials said grocery stores have been emptied and medicine is running out.
Russian troops besieged the city And anyone attempting to leave is going to be shot, according to locals, including a top local health official, whom CNN is not naming for security reasons.
On Thursday, Russian forces attempted to shoot two people at a checkpoint, killing one and seriously injuring the other, the official told CNN.
Andrey Abba, who works as a tax lawyer, says he is determined to stay in Kherson, regardless of occupation, as long as the Ukrainian flag remains unfurled on government buildings.
“Even if we want to remove women and children from here, it is absolutely impossible,” he said. “They shoot anyone who tries to leave.”
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