On August 1, the Russian invaders shot a minibus with an anti-tank guided missile, on which residents were being evacuated from the occupied village of Staroselye, Kherson region.
Two civilians were killed and two were taken away in a critical condition, as reported by the head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul.
According to latest information, three people have now died.
“The Russians committed another war crime. There was an attempt to evacuate seven civilians in a red minibus from the occupied village of Staroselye,” Vilkul wrote on Telegram.
Five civilians – three men and two women, were evacuated to Kryvyi Rih.”Two of them are in a serious condition with burn shock. Everyone is already in hospital in Kryvyi Rih and receiving medical care,” Vilkul added.
On March 3, the Russian army completely captured Kherson, and on March 15, the region fell under occupation. According to residents’ testimonies, the Russian military are shooting anyone they don’t like in the occupied territory. People disappear every day, with kidnapping rife.
On June 28, the mayor of Kherson, Ihor Kolykhaev, was kidnapped. However, the occupiers are abducting anyone – even those with no connections to politics or the Ukrainian army.
Life in the Kherson region remains hard for Ukrainians. The first thing the occupying authorities did was to ban protests and public meetings. Furthermore, to leave the occupied territory, Ukrainians have to pass through a filtration process and risk being taken to prison camps.
Daily life in the occupied territories
Ukrainians in the occupied territories live in a state of humanitarian crisis. This makes it complicated to find a job; food prices have risen sharply and there are shortages in medicines and goods for children. Some medicines are imported from occupied Crimea and sold on the market.
It is almost impossible to withdraw money since Ukrainian bank cards and ATMs do not work. Ukrainian cell phone networks are also unavailable in the city. The only way to stay connected is to buy a Russian SIM card, which involved leaving passport details with the occupying security forces.
The deputy of the Kherson Regional Council, Serhiy Khlan, believes that this is how the occupying authorities conduct a census of the population remaining in the region in anticipation of a referendum.
Russian collaborator Kiril Stremousov recently announced the start of preparations for a pseudo-referendum.
