Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed the city of Kyiv and its mayor, Vitali Klitschko, for the deaths of people earlier this week when it was revealed that the bomb shelter was not ready for use in time.
Zelenskyy stated, "It is the duty of local authorities, a very specific duty, to ensure that shelters are available and accessible around the clock. It is painful to see the negligence of this duty. It is painful to see casualties."
Died Outside the Bomb Shelter
On Thursday morning, June 1, while waiting outside the shelter, three people, including a 9-year-old girl and her mother, were murdered by falling missile debris. The mayor of the city replied by declaring that everyone involved in the disaster should feel some degree of guilt.
After the alarm went off, the entrance to the clinic where the refuge was located in the city's north-eastern Desnyanskyi area remained locked. Yaroslav, the husband of the second deceased woman, Natalya, said there was constant banging at the door for what seemed like an eternity. Women and children were there, but no one dared to open it, he added.
He said that his daughter saw her mother die "with her own eyes." Others corroborated the report, claiming the responsible guard did not open the door in the brief interval between the alarm going off and the debris hitting the ground.
According to The Guardian, Zelenskyy never mentioned Klitschko or any other official by name. Yet, he made it apparent that he held officials in the capital at least somewhat responsible for the failure by placing special attention on local authorities.
Since late April, Kyiv has been under almost constant bombardment from Russian missiles and drones. This forced its citizens to choose between staying in bed until morning or rushing to a bomb shelter.
Investigations Underway
On Friday, June 2, Klitschko retaliated by issuing a statement in which he said that there should be equal and shared blame in this.
The Kyiv mayor reportedly expressed concern that funding for the city's air-raid shelters would run out by the end of June. He also said that Zelenskyy had personally picked officials for each of the city's districts, nine of whom were members of the president's political party.
On Thursday, The Guardian said Klitschko visited the scene and promised investigations and police patrols to guarantee the shelters remained open. The Interior Ministry has said that police are looking into the killings that occurred on that night.
