MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Russian forces have entered Slavutych, a city of about 25,000 people that serves as a housing community for workers from the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant, local officials said Saturday.
In a video address posted on Facebook late Saturday, the mayor, Yurii Fomichev, said that “Slavutych from today is under occupation.” He added that three days ago, the city received an ultimatum from Russia to surrender without a fight: “We strongly defended our city.”
He said three people had died, but he did not say how or when.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his own late-night address on Telegram, confirmed “Russian invaders” had entered the city. He expressed unity with demonstrators, who took to the city’s streets to protest their presence. “Today, we were all with you, on your streets, in your protest,” he said.
Video posted Saturday and verified by The Washington Post shows protesters, some carrying Ukrainian flags, in the city square during a large demonstration against the Russians. Gunfire can be heard in the background, and what appears to be tear gas can be seen engulfing the crowd.
“Russians opened fire in the air. Noise grenades are thrown at the crowd,” the governor of the Kyiv region, Oleksandr Pavlyuk, wrote in a post on his Telegram channel Saturday. “Residents do not disperse. On the contrary, they are increasing.”
Fomichev’s and Pavlyuk’s statements could not be verified independently. Earlier reports said the mayor had been captured by Russian troops but was released following the demonstrations, with Russian troops agreeing to leave the city if people handed over their weapons to the mayor. Slavutych is north of Kyiv, near the Belarusian border and the city of Chernihiv, which is under heavy bombardment by Russian forces and facing a humanitarian crisis.
“Today Slavutych remains a Ukrainian city, under Ukrainian flags. With Ukrainian rule, under the Ukrainian constitution, with our own [laws],” Fomichev said in his address late Saturday. “We now have to learn how to live in these conditions. In the conditions of occupation. Yes, Slavutych has no armed forces. Slavutych is a peaceful city, where energy workers and various specialists, bakers, doctors, teachers and all others live. And we must continue to live.”
The city is under a 7 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew, controlled by Russian forces, the mayor said. He said that after inspecting buildings for any weapons, the troops “should leave the city.” Officials are negotiating safe corridors for residents to leave and working to distribute humanitarian aid, he said.
The Ukrainian Pravda news outlet quoted the mayor as saying Sunday that they had partially succeeded at replacing the shift workers at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
“We have constant dialogues to rotate more often,” the mayor said, according to Pravda.
The International Atomic Energy Agency had said earlier Saturday that Russian shelling in Slavutych prevented workers at the closed plant from returning to their homes for about a week.
Ukrainian officials have said that the Russian takeover of the Chernobyl zone, the scene of a 1986 nuclear disaster, in the first days of the war jeopardized safety at the plant by disrupting shift changes of workers, including technical staffers responsible for managing the radioactive waste stored there.
Pannett reported from Sydney. Rick Noack in Paris contributed to this report.
The latest: In a fiery speech marking the end of his European tour on Saturday, President Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “dictator,” saying, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” The White House later clarified that Biden wasn’t calling for a regime change and meant only that Putin should not be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region.
Meanwhile, the Russian onslaught continued Saturday with two powerful rockets striking Lviv. The western Ukrainian city had been largely spared from attacks during the first month of the war. Russian forces also entered Slavutych, a northern city of about 25,000 people that houses workers from the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The fight: Russia — which has launched more than 1,000 missiles so far — is increasingly relying on “dumb” bombs to wear cities and civilians down. Russia’s assault on Ukraine has been extensive with strikes and attacks across the entire country, and Russia has been accused of committing war crimes.
The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.
Oil prices: Sanctions on Russia are helping gas prices hit new highs. Here’s why — and how long the surge could last.
In Russia: Putin has locked down the flow of information within Russia, where the war isn’t even being called a war. “Information warriors” from around the world are working to penetrate Putin’s propaganda wall.
How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.
Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
Analysis•
News•
News•