Mayor of Shostka about the shelling: We will not be able to start the heating season on time

The heating season, along with boiler houses and energy infrastructure in Sumy Region, has been severely impacted. Shostka, like the entire border area of the region, regularly suffers from Russian shelling. What is the current situation in the city?

Mykola Noha, the mayor of Shostka, discussed this on Hromadske Radio.

«It was turbulent; enemy planes were flying overhead. Last week, our community was heavily shelled with Shahed drones. The power supply infrastructure was destroyed. We were without electricity, water, and power for more than a day. In general, we have many problems, but we are not losing heart.»

The mayor emphasized the extent of the damage caused by the shelling:

«We will be working to restore the heating system by the new year, as it has been destroyed. But we remain steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine. The situation at the border is such that children and the elderly are being evacuated on one side, while the rest of the population is mobilized to defend Ukraine. This is our firm stance.»

Noha also noted that it will not be possible to start the heating season on time:

«The Russians destroyed our two main boiler houses. We are working to repair them, but we won’t be able to start the heating season on time.»

To recap, on October 1, the occupiers launched an airstrike on critical infrastructure in Shostka, Sumy Region.

In addition, the forced evacuation of children with their parents has begun in the Sumy district. A total of minors from 90 settlements in the district are subject to evacuation.

The decision to order the evacuation was made on September 30 and was officially announced on October 1 by the Sumy District Council.

The evacuation concerns the following communities:

• Bilopilska and Vorozhbianska urban territorial communities;
• Krasnopilska and Khotynska village territorial communities;
• Yunakivska, Miropilska, and Mykolaivska rural territorial communities.

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As a reminder, the northern part of Donetsk Region, home to around 260,000 residents, is facing significant water supply issues due to heavy Russian shelling, as reported by Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration.