Mykolaiv and Dnipro: a tale of two cities under attack
The true toll of civilian casualties in the war in Ukraine remains unclear, with estimates ranging from 17,000 dead and wounded (according to UN figures) to more than 40,000 dead (according to the US military). Following Ukraine’s recapture earlier this month of the southern city of Kherson, Russia has intensified its missile strikes across the country, many of them landing on civilian areas. Mediapart’s Mathilde Goanec reports here from two cities targeted by the attacks: Mykolaiv, in the south-east, close to the Black Sea, and Dnipro, in the centre-south.
MykolaivMykolaiv lies alongside the Southern Buh River about 60 kilometres, as the crow flies, north-west of Kherson, the southern Ukrainian city recaptured from Russian occupation on November 11th. It is a shipbuilding centre and transportation hub due to its access downriver to the Black Sea, and is a key city in Kyiv’s battle to gain control elsewhere in the south.
