Russia might have targeted drone exhibition in Chernihiv, se…

Rescuers work after a Russian missile attack in the center of Chernihiv, August 19, 2023 (Photo:National Police/Handout via REUTERS)

“The exhibition, which took place today, Aug. 19, 2023, in the city, was not agreed with the Chernihiv City Council. No permits were granted,” the Chernihiv City Council stated.

The exhibition’s co-organizer, Maria Berlinska, clarified in a post on her Facebook page that the exhibition was indeed agreed with the military-civilian administration, not the city council.

“This is not a business exhibition, it is a closed meeting of engineers, military, and volunteers on military technologies for the front,” Berlinska said.

“I saw the official statement of the city council, and in fact we did not agree [to host the event] with them. We agreed on it with the Military Administration, as it should be. I don’t give any comments to journalists, the official investigation comes first. I see that anonymous pro-Russian accounts have joined the effort to spread hatred and betrayal. It’s a pity that there are some Ukrainian bloggers among them who are not even trying to understand the situation.”

She also said that the announcement of the event was posted publicly, but the location was not specified.

“The specific location was only announced to registered and verified participants a few hours before the event,” Berlinska explained.

“All participant data was provided to the relevant authorities.”

As soon as the air raid alert was announced in the city, the event was stopped and the participants were told several times to take cover, she said.

“Unfortunately, some people went outside anyway,” the volunteer wrote.

“Everyone who went to the shelter is safe. I personally went to the shelter a minute before the strike.”

In the comments to Berlinska’s post, a number of Facebook users expressed outrage that the drone exhibition was held in Chernihiv, which is located not far from the Russian border.

A number of users also voiced support for Berlinska.

“We must protect Maria Berlinska and all the organizers!” wrote former Samopomich MP Viktoriia Voitsitska in her post.

“The enemy is to blame for this war, this tragedy. Period.”

Lawyer and soldier Masi Nayyem wrote that society will blame Berlinska, not the Russians, for the attack because of the accumulated negativity.

“Maria has done a lot for Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” he said.

“And I will stand up for her. The whole of Ukraine is in danger. The Russians could have hit it with ballistic missiles even without the event that took place there. As they have done hundreds of times before. In Mariupol, for example, there was no event… it was a beautiful city. This did not stop the Russians from destroying it. Therefore, I am asking you to hold off on your jackal express. If you are for Ukraine, and not just [here to have your say]. Of course, conclusions must be drawn. Such events should be more private. Less public.”

Solomiya Bobrovska, a Golos MP, emphasized that the strike on Chernihiv was yet another terrorist attack by Russians.

“No one promised any of us that we could feel safe somewhere in our homes,” she wrote, wishing strength to Maria Berlinska, Lyuba Shypovych and Ihor Lutsenko who were also at the site of the attack.

“Please do not throw tantrums and blame those who work titanically every day to support the defense forces! This is what the enemy expects from us – the maximum split in our society!”

The director of the Institute of Mass Information, Oksana Romanyuk, suggested that Ukrainians “find and donate for a drone instead of hating their own people for holding a public event.”

“The Russians are to blame for the strike,” she wrote.

“It was Russia that dropped a ballistic missile on the center of a civilian city on Saturday morning. There is no rear and no safe place in Ukraine now. Overnight, about 400 buildings in Khmelnytskyi Oblast were damaged. Schools, municipal buildings, houses. Did people have to stay awake in their homes? Not to live, not to move, because Putin would attack? We take personal safety measures. Let’s donate for drones right now.”

In a Facebook post, Sonya Koshkina, editor-in-chief of news outlet Lb.ua, expressed dismay at those criticizing organizers of an event countering Russian influence. The journalist stated that assigning blame to organizers for being targeted by Russia represents the nadir of ethical baseness.

“Now the task of the security forces is to find the person (or persons) who gave the tip,” she added.

“There was definitely a tip-off. The security forces certainly do not need advice from Facebook in this case.”

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