On the morning of 19 August, Russian troops hit the centre of Chernihiv, probably with a ballistic missile. There are civilians killed and wounded.

Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration; Suspilne Chernihiv; Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs; Ukraine’s Interior Ministry

Quote from Chaus: "The enemy attacked the centre of Chernihiv. Probably with a ballistic missile. Stay in shelters. [We will provide] details later."

Quote from Klymenko: "It was a holiday morning on Saturday. People were leaving the church with baskets filled with consecrated apples... As of 13:00, we had established that 42 people were affected as a result of the Russian attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre. Five people were killed. 37 people were wounded, including 11 children. All of them are receiving medical assistance."

Update: Ukraine’s Interior Ministry later reported that seven people were killed and 90 injured.

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Quote from Klymenko: "An unidentified woman. The death toll has risen to seven.

... 90 injured people have sought medical assistance. Among them are 10 police officers and 12 children. 25 people were hospitalised. A 12-year-old girl is being urgently transported to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in critical condition.

A fire broke out on the roof of a building. Rescue workers quickly extinguished the fire. 20 investigative teams of Chernihiv police and two forensic laboratories are working at the scene."

Details: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who left for Sweden, published a video from the scene.

"The square, the polytechnic university and the theatre. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are people who have been killed and wounded. My condolences to those who have lost their relatives," Zelenskyy wrote on social media, commenting on the attack on the centre of Chernihiv.

The president promised to work on the greater world’s consolidation against Russian terror.

Russian forces reportedly launched a missile attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre when a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools was held there as part of the Liuti Ptashky (Angry Birds) demo day, although only the event’s participants knew the exact location.

Psychologists from the State Emergency Service, rescue workers and all the necessary forces and assets are on the scene.

#Чернігів. Неприхований терор. В святковий день терористи завдали ракетного удару по центру міста. Є загиблі та поранені.

Психологи ДСНС, рятувальники та всі необхідні сили та засоби на місці.



Працюємо заради порятунку інших.#RussiaisATerroistState pic.twitter.com/ihVStyKWlA — Сергій Крук (@Serhiy_Kruk) August 19, 2023

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a missile threat to Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy oblasts – and later also the threat of Russian attack drones in Chernihiv oblast.

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