Russia Accused Of Destroying Basics Of Civilian Life In City Without Power, Gas Or Water

Russian forces have been accused of taking hostage the people of the besieged city of Chernihiv, as desperate local officials imposed drinking water rationing on trapped civilians.

- Daniel Boffey Lviv

About 150,000 people are stuck in the northern Ukrainian city with little hope of aid after Russia cut them off from the capital, Kyiv, 100 miles south, by bombing a road bridge across the Desna River.

Chernihiv, which has been the focus of intense fighting in which tens of people have been killed a day, has already been without power for days, with looting rife, as the city has collapsed into chaos.

Officials said drinkable water was running out, in a grim forewarning of a humanitarian disaster to match that of the flattened port of Mariupol, in the south-east, from where 100,000 people are struggling to flee.

“The number of tanks for drinking water is limited,” Chernihiv officials told civilians yesterday. “ In order to protect the population of the city, starting from [today ] restrictions are imposed on the distribution of drinking water. Water will be poured in the amount of 10 litres per person.” A date for a second supply of water was not provided.

Lyudmila Denisova, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, said the population was being held hostage, with the Ukrainian government fearful the Kremlin was seeking to push its “maximalist” demands in peace negotiations with Kyiv by ratcheting up the targeting of civilians.

Denisova said: “Today Chernihiv remains completely cut off from the capital. The occupiers bombed the bridge across the River Desna, through which we transported humanitarian aid to the city and evacuated civilians.