Residents In Western Ukraine Sought Shelter Underground When Russia Invaded, Deputy Mayor Says

Residents in Lviv, Ukraine, on the western side of the country, sought shelter underground when Russia began its invasion into eastern parts of the country.

Lviv Deputy Mayor Andriy Moskalenko told CNN that Ukraine’s west side isn’t taking Russia’s threat lightly.

“In Lviv, we had this morning sirens. And so it was a sign for people to move to underground places. It was a potential threat,” Moskalenko told the network. He also said there had been no explosions so far.

CNN further reported that Lviv residents formed lines at banks and ATMs to withdraw money in order to be prepared if Russia travels to their side of the country. Moskalenko also told the network that school has been moved online to allow students to stay at home, but other than that, the city is operating as usual.

“Right now, the city works as usual. We have water supply, heat supply, we have transport and banks and other institutions at work. We, together with state security service, the administration, with police, manage our work. So we have come to headquarters to provide services for our residents,” Moskalenko said.

Lviv’s response comes after Russia began a full-scale invasion into Ukraine Thursday morning. As The Daily Wire reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a speech early Thursday morning that a “special military operation” was beginning to demilitarize Ukraine. Putin also called on Ukrainian soldiers to put down their weapons and go home. Further, Putin appeared to threaten NATO, the U.S., and anyone else who may come to Ukraine’s aid.

“A couple of words for those who would be tempted to intervene, Russia will respond immediately and you will have consequences that you never have had before in your history,” Putin said.

It was not just Lviv that saw residents seeking shelter underground. Families and their pets in Kharkiv crowded into a subway station that CNN reported is currently serving as a bomb shelter.

“It’s just absolutely surreal. Yesterday, this would have been full of commuters making their way back and forth to work. Today, it has become an impromptu bomb shelter,” CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward reported from Kharkiv.

Ward added that she and her team heard a “series of thuds” while they were outside the station.

“People start[ed] to pour in here … These people are frightened. They’re confused. They are desperately uncertain about what they’re supposed to do, how long they can take shelter here, where they go from here,” Ward reported.

The people of Kharkiv have much to fear after reports that an apartment complex was hit as part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Daily Wire reported that freelance journalist Justin Yau said “An apartment complex in [Chuhuiv] is devastated by bombardment, south of Kharkiv. Untold number of casualties.”

The Daily Wire also noted that Getty Images published images of firefighters extinguishing flames with the caption: “Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2022.”

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