Chernihiv missile attack: Drone exhibit “agreed with local authorities”
The drone exhibition, which took place in Chernihiv on Saturday when the Russian Iskander missile was hit, was agreed with the local authorities.
That’s according to Maria Berlinska, the founder and chief of the Aerial Reconnaissance Support Center and the Invisible Battalion project, who organized the exhibition.
She clarified this information “to avoid manipulation that some bloggers are already hyping on" by noting that the missile attack was related to the event that was announced the day before.
Berlinska admits that the event was publicly announced beforehand but it was also officially agreed with local authorities, who she says provided the venue.
“Notifications on the specific venue were sent only to the registered and verified participants a few hours prior to the event. Now personal data of all participants have been provided to the relevant authorities. We are currently working with the Security Service of Ukraine, providing all the necessary data for an operational inquiry."
According to Berlinska, as soon as the air raid alert went off, the event was suspended and the participants were advised repeatedly to take shelter. Unfortunately, some people chose to get outside.
Missile strike aftermath in Chernihiv / Photo: State Emergency Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs
"All those who went to the shelter are safe. I personally got to the shelter a minute before the impact," writes Berlinska.
She also notes that prior to this event, in agreement with local authorities, similar events were held in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russian invaders launched a missile attack on the center of Chernihiv around noon on Saturday, August 19.
Currently, seven deaths have been confirmed. Ninety wounded people sought medical help, including 10 policemen and 12 children. Twenty-five people were hospitalized.