Kherson, a major port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, was overrun by Russian troops in the early morning hours after days of heavy bombing and shelling. The Ukrainian flag continued to be hoisted on government buildings and the city’s mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, remained at his post.
On Saturday, Kolykhaiev announced that Russian troops were everywhere, and that the city of nearly 300,000 people was without power and water and in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
Kolykhaiev said Russian troops had “settled” in the city and showed no signs of leaving.
“We have a lot of people in need here. We have cancer patients. Children who need medicine. This medicine isn’t getting through to them right now,” he told DailyExpertNews, adding that the Russians wanted to send aid, but residents refused. †
People living in Kherson under Russian occupation describe days of terror confined to their apartments and houses, afraid to go outside for even the bare necessities of life – their city now a dystopian shell of the home they knew and loved.
Checkpoints manned by Russian troops crisscross the city’s streets, five Kherson residents told DailyExpertNews in recent phone calls. The roads are virtually empty as residents have either fled the fighting or are staying indoors for fear of running into Russian soldiers. Supermarkets have been emptied and medicines are running out, residents and officials said.
Russian troops have surrounded the city and firing at anyone who tries to leave, according to residents, including a local health official whom DailyExpertNews does not name for security reasons.
On Thursday, Russian troops shot two men at a checkpoint after they tried to pass, killing one and seriously injuring the other, the official told DailyExpertNews.
Andriy Abba, who works as a tax lawyer, says he is determined to remain in Kherson regardless of the occupation, as long as the Ukrainian flag continues to fly on government buildings.
“Even if we want to evacuate women and children here, it’s just impossible,” he added. “They shoot at anyone who tries to leave.”
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