The mayor says Chernihiv’s population has more than halved since the invasion began
A man rides his bicycle in front of apartment buildings destroyed by shells in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on March 4. (Dimitar Delkov/AFP/Getty Images)
2022. – 47 people were killed on March 3 when Russian forces bombed residential areas, including schools and a high-rise apartment building, in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, officials said. (Photo by Dimitar Delkov/AFP) (Photo by Dimitar Delkov/AFP via Getty Images)
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, located halfway between Kyiv and the Russian border, said the population has fallen by more than half since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mayor Vladislav Atrushenko, during a virtual press conference on Saturday, said between 120,000 and 130,000 residents remain in the city, compared to about 290,000 before the Russian invasion, adding that “the city is under siege.”
Atrushenko said that Russian forces “deliberately destroyed the only bridge connecting Chernihiv with the southern highway to Kyiv”.
Atrushenko was referring to the Russian warplanes that destroyed a major bridge on March 23, one of the last remaining routes linking it to other Ukraine-controlled territory.
There are currently no evacuation corridors and “there is no safe way for supplies, aid or wounded to get in or out,” the mayor said.
Atrochenko’s comments come as the city is trying to evacuate 44 seriously injured people. He said most of them are associated with the military, but the number also includes civilians, including 3 children.
Atrochenko said there were direct hits on hospitals, including the Chernihiv district hospital that was “destroyed”. Water and electricity supplies were also affected, and volunteers delivered water.
Chernihiv has seen some of the heaviest bombing since Russia invaded Ukraine just over four weeks ago.
Among the latest deadly attacks, on March 16, a queue of people to buy bread, authorities said at least 10 people were killed.
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