Cultural manager Iryna Plekhova and director Oleh Chornyi lose their Kyiv apartment in Russian attack
Russia's attack on Kyiv on the night of 1-2 July has destroyed the Kyiv apartment of Iryna Plekhova, deputy director for cultural projects and communications at the Kyiv Cultural Cluster and director of the Lira cinema in Kyiv, and film director and screenwriter Oleh Chornyi.
Source: Iryna Plekhova on Facebook
Quote: "Our building is on fire. We got out again. The attack is still going on. I don't know how to describe the state I'm in. It's no longer fear, no longer confusion, we can't do anything. Oleh was pulling a neighbour out of the burning building, and I was calling all the [emergency] services while explosions were going on. I don't know what to write. I don't know what to write anymore."
More details: The couple's apartment has been damaged by Russian strikes before. On 15 June, the windows were blown out, the front door was blocked and the walls were scraped by shrapnel.
In a comment to Detector Media, Iryna Plekhova said they were at home when the attack took place. They managed to grab a suitcase containing their documents and to help two elderly neighbours get out of their apartments.
Firefighters are currently working at the scene. After that, residents will be allowed back into the building and law enforcement agencies will assess the damage.
Background:
- On 1 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing a new large-scale attack on Ukraine. It later became known that Russian forces were attacking Kyiv with drones, then missiles were also launched towards the capital.
- The Russian strike on the capital killed 18 people and injured 86 others. Seven people have been pulled alive from under the rubble.
- Kyiv has declared 3 July a Day of Mourning for those who were killed in the Russian attack.
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