Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka faces complete devastation in recent weeks — mayor

Nova Kakhovka Mayor Volodymyr Kovalenko shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The city is in deep, imposed depression. The thing is, for the past two to three months, there have been problems with electricity, and today, in the old part of the city, as we call it, the one closer to the Dnipro River, near the frontline, there is absolutely no electricity. As a result, there is no heating because about 15 years ago we fully switched the city to individual heating, so the boilers aren't working, there's no water and no communication. People are starting to move from this part of the city to friends' homes, if there are free apartments, and there are many of them, in the Sokil neighborhood, which is further from the Dnipro. The last two to three weeks have seen complete devastation in the city. The second school burned down, just three or four days ago, the building of the pension fund was destroyed, as well as the children's creativity house. One of the mobile service provider's towers was destroyed there. Then, a shell hit near the city bathhouse and the only functioning gas station – it hit the building of the Polytechnic Institute. So, it seems like everything is being done to force the residents to relocate or completely leave," he said.

According to him, the city is facing major healthcare problems. To receive medical help, people need to travel either to a neighboring city or to Crimea.

"The city is living with these rumors. First of all, everyone is afraid of getting sick because the healthcare system in the city is completely destroyed. There are a few doctors and nurses, but if something serious happens, you have to go, at the very least, to the neighboring city of Kakhovka, or at most, to Crimea, to Simferopol, because you won’t get help anywhere else. It’s a difficult situation. People say that if you don’t receive a passport by April 1st, this gives the Russians the right to deport you. Everyone was forced to report their water meter readings. Two goals: either they will force you to pay for water, or they will identify where no one lives in order to settle Russians there. They say communal enterprises will not operate. Right now, only the funeral service, the water supply company, and the trash collection are functioning. They’ve already delayed their salaries," said the mayor of Nova Kakhovka.

Volodymyr Kovalenko noted that all the destruction in the city is due to Russian shelling. According to him, they are trying to force people to leave the old part of the city to turn it into a so-called buffer zone.

"The residents of the city clearly see that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have nothing to do with the destruction. Indeed, shelling is taking place from the right bank, but they know that there is a part of the forest area that goes right into the city, where, in fact, Russian troops are most concentrated, dug in, and fortified. The shelling is coming from the right bank. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have nothing to do with these shellings. Most of the objects I mentioned are located in the part of the city near the Dnipro, because the city is located along the riverbank, which is the frontline. People are afraid that there will be a retreat from the position. That is, there are forced actions to relocate people from the so-called old part of the city. From Dniprovskiy Avenue, which is 200 meters, or 150 meters from the Dnipro, to Mykola Bukin Street – this is the old neighborhood, so that everyone moves out from there, which is about three kilometers from the Dnipro. Then starts the Sokil neighborhood, where people are relocating," he said.

• On August 23, 2024, the mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Volodymyr Kovalenko, noted that residents of the city have to travel far outside the town to receive medical services.