Is in Chernihiv dangerous for life - the mayor

The mayor of Chernihiv, Vladislav Atroshenko, told DW journalists how things are in the regional center, what condition the infrastructure is in, whether people have food.

Atroshenko said that infrastructure was completely destroyed by Russian missiles and air bombs, thousands of houses, money does not go to the city, because the business does not work because of the destruction, taxes and salaries are not paid, only pensions are accrued.

He noted that humanitarian aid is distributed free of charge in the city. There is meat, fish, cereals.

The mayor also stressed that the hospitals in Chernihiv worked constantly and during the shelling.

There is no heat in hospitals now, the windows are boarded up with plywood, but doctors provide first aid and save lives. Surgical departments work, but there are certain restrictions. For example, when it comes to complex operations for which there are not enough tools. Therefore, after stabilization of severe patients, they try to take them to Kyiv, - Atroshenko shared.

He also noted that everyone should make the decision to return to the city for himself.

Being here now is a risk to life, but at the same time, someone needs to ensure the life of the city. The law does not prohibit both coming and going out of the city. But we must take into account when resolving this issue that there is a very high probability of missile strikes, air bombardments, the return of Russian ground units in the direction of Chernigov and Kyiv, he warned.

According to the mayor, the authorities have already begun to count the losses. They also intend to involve international experts in this.

Speaking about the victims, Vladislav Atroshenko said that the exact number of victims in Chernigov could not be established, since many local residents were missing. The authorities suspect that these people were burned to death in places where heavy bombs were used.

We have cases when a husband was waiting for his wife, who was supposed to leave the hospital, he called her on the phone and said that he was waiting at the door. A minute later, an air bomb fell on this place and this person was not found anywhere, even the remains. The man burned down, - said Atroshenko.

He explained that a very high temperature rises in the radius of destruction of aerial bombs, and in a matter of seconds everything that can burn out burns out.

We have many such cases,” he said.

The mayor of Chernihiv also said that not all people have been pulled out of the rubble yet, so the final statistics will come later. At the same time, he named the total number of those killed in Chernihiv - more than 700 people. 40 people are considered missing.

The mayor also stressed that the remains of some people have not been identified, and for this a DNA test must be done.