Kherson, a key Black Sea port city in southern Ukraine, was captured by Russian forces early Wednesday morning after days of heavy bombing and shelling. The Ukrainian flag was still hoisted on government buildings, and the mayor of the city, Igor Kolykhaev, remained in his post.
On Saturday, Kolykhaev announced that Russian troops were everywhere and the city of nearly 300,000 people was left without electricity and water and was in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Kolykhaev said Russian troops were “entrenched” 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 medication. Currently, this medicine does not reach them, ”he told CNN, adding that the Russians wanted to send help, but the residents refused it. .
People living in Kherson under Russian occupation describe the days of horror, being locked in their apartments and houses, they were afraid to go outside even for essentials – their city has now become a dystopian shell of the home they knew and loved.
Checkpoints manned by Russian troops dot the streets of the city, five Kherson residents told CNN in recent phone calls. The roads are practically empty because the residents either fled the fighting or stay at home, fearing to meet Russian soldiers. Grocery stores are empty and medicines are running out, residents and officials say.
Russian troops surrounded the city and shoot anyone who tries to leave, residents say, including a senior local health official who CNN is not naming for security reasons.
On Thursday, Russian forces shot and killed two men at a checkpoint after they tried to pass, killing one and seriously injuring another, an official told CNN.
Andriy Abba, a tax lawyer, says he is determined to stay in Kherson, regardless of occupation, as long as the Ukrainian flag flies over government buildings.
“Even if we wanted to evacuate women and children from here, it is simply impossible,” he added. “They shoot anyone who tries to leave.”
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