Chernihiv region/Illustrative photo
The border regions in the north of Ukraine are consistently under Russian shelling with various types of weapons. This situation leads, in particular, to civilian casualties, prompting advisories for evacuation to safer settlements.
Pavlo Solodovnyk, a correspondent in the Chernihiv region, discussed this issue on Hromadske Radio. He emphasized that the situation has barely changed since the de-occupation of the Chernihiv region and the entire northern Ukraine.
«There is daily shelling with various types of weapons, including artillery, mortars, and aircraft. In 2023 and early 2024, subversive reconnaissance groups became more active. Looking at the statistics, approximately 15,000 explosions and 1,700 shelling incidents were recorded last year. Russians terrorize border villages daily, sometimes extending their attacks to cities as well. The Novhorod-Siverska community and settlements like Hremyach and Zaliznyi Bridge suffer the most damage. In the border settlements of Koryukivka district, the village of Yelino was effectively leveled to the ground. The Horodnyanska community also faces constant shelling. In 2023, 24 civilians died due to Russian attacks, including two children. Some were victims of a missile attack on Chernihiv, but most lost their lives on the border», — said Solodovnyk.
Given the situation in the border regions, the evacuation of civilians is ongoing. Currently, it is being carried out on a voluntary basis, the correspondent added:
«Information about the evacuation is being relayed from the Chernihiv regional and 5 district military administrations to local authorities. Each district military administration has individuals handling these matters. There is a hotline for people to call. Information campaigns are conducted in each community, with visits to settlements to discuss this opportunity.
Recently, Russian public media spread information about alleged forced evacuations in Chernihiv and Sumy regions. However, this is not true, as all evacuations are currently voluntary. There are different categories of people: some understand the risks and, especially if they have children, choose to leave. But in many settlements that suffer from shelling, residents choose to stay. If they have nowhere else to go, they turn to local authorities for help. There is indeed a housing bank, offering options in neighboring communities. From my observations, most people do not want to move far away, especially if they are elderly».
Pavlo Solodovnyk also mentioned that on January 13, the Bobrovytsia neighborhood in the north of Chernihiv was attacked.
«During the fighting in March-April 2022, this neighborhood was wiped out and turned into ruins. Since then, it has been gradually rebuilt. Mostly, there are one- and two-storey private dwellings and very few high-rise buildings. By the beginning of 2024, the neighborhood showed very little sign of having been affected by the fighting. On January 13, the falling debris of Russian missiles again caused a lot of damage. According to official statistics, 28 private houses were damaged. In one multi-storey building, 20 apartments were damaged. Fortunately, there were no casualties», — said Pavlo Solodovnyk.