Over 100 people injured in April alone: Nikopol citizens sound the alarm over intensified Russian attacks

Residents of the frontline city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast are sounding the alarm over frequent Russian attacks, which have intensified significantly in recent times.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia (UP.Life)

Details: Since the beginning of April alone, more than 100 residents have been injured or killed as a result of the attacks. In the settlement, home to approximately 40,000 people, air-raid warnings are being issued non-stop, and locals are afraid to leave their homes.

The citizens have called on Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to strengthen the city's air defence – the appeal was published by the Prykhyst media group.

"We understand that standard air defence systems do not work well against artillery, but to counter drones, I think certain military decisions could be made that would at least help us a little," Anna Tseluiko, a Nikopol resident and editor-in-chief of Prykhyst, told Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia.

"Fear is in the air": how frontline Nikopol lives

The city has been under constant attacks since July 2022. Over the years, their intensity has varied, but since around the end of March, the situation has become particularly tense, Anna says.

Russian forces attack the city with artillery that destroys homes and key enterprises, as well as UAVs of various types, from small FPV drones to kamikaze drones and the latest AI-powered drones.

"As the soldiers explained to us, electronic warfare systems cannot suppress fixed-wing drones that use artificial intelligence. There have already been cases when such drones were used against Nikopol," Anna said.

Recently, the air threat in the city has been constant – Russian drones are flying over Nikopol almost non-stop, so alerts do little to help residents stay safe.

"Even monitoring channels conventionally report that a 'plane-type drone' has entered Nikopol and detonated somewhere, but immediately after it, another one follows. The Russians launch them in groups of two or three, so there is no point even giving the all-clear.

In fact, there are very few people and cars in the city. People are afraid. Right now, fear is felt even in the air. Residents are afraid to leave their homes because they do not understand when and where a UAV might strike," the journalist explained.

For example, Russian forces launch around 1,500 drones per day from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Anna says. However, not all of them manage to reach the city.

According to monitoring channels on Telegram, the Nikopol district was attacked 132 times in a single day on 8 April.

The Nikopol resident stresses that during the Easter holidays, the authorities urge residents to avoid moving around the city without urgent need, not to use public transport, and not to visit churches or cemeteries.

"We can talk a lot about certain shortcomings on the part of the authorities, but first and foremost, we must take responsibility for our own safety," the journalist is convinced.

Despite the increase in the number of people injured in Russian attacks, local medics are coping with their work, Anna says. However, children are immediately hospitalised in a regional hospital in Dnipro, and those seriously injured are being evacuated.

Anna suggests that about 40,000 people remain in the city out of more than 100,000 who lived there before the start of the full-scale war.

Despite the constant threat from the air, people in Nikopol continue to do their jobs – industry, emergency services and utility services are operating in the city.

"People were quite shaken by the attacks on the market and a bus. But everyone keeps working, even entrepreneurs whose retail outlets were damaged. Now everyone is trying to use social media to tell people what goods they have and how they can be purchased.

I wouldn't say that anyone is closing down en masse. On the contrary, small and medium-sized businesses are encouraging customers, offering goods and services on prepayment and free delivery. Businesses need to survive, so entrepreneurs are adapting to this reality," Anna shared.

Background:

• On 4 April, Russian forces struck a market in Nikopol. As a result of the attack, retail premises were damaged, 19 people were injured, and at least five were killed.
• A few days later, in the morning, the Russians attacked a bus in the city centre with an FPV drone. Sixteen people were injured, eight of whom were hospitalised. Two of the injured men were in a serious condition. At least four residents were killed in the attack.
• On the same day, in the Nikopol district, Russian forces also struck a minibus operating an intercity route. Five people were injured.
• In addition to aerial attacks, Russian forces have begun scattering small and hard-to-spot Pryanik (Gingerbread) mines in the Nikopol district, which pose a deadly threat. Despite being only about 5–6 centimetres in a diameter, they are more powerful than Lepestok (Petal) mines and detonate at the slightest pressure.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!