Oleksandr Tolokonnikov is the Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional State Administration for Digital Development, Information Policy, International Cooperation, and Coordination of International Technical Assistance.
According to journalist Zarina Zabrisky, these attacks, known as “human safaris,” leave an average of two people dead and twenty injured in Kherson each day. These figures are appalling. Do you have sufficient medical resources to handle so many victims?
We have suffered many casualties, and over the past few months and weeks we have had around twenty people wounded and up to five killed every day. These figures have fallen for the time being because the shelling has eased off, but unfortunately, we do not expect this to last long, as the Russians have not withdrawn and our forces have observed them stockpiling drones and ammunition for a new wave of attacks, which we expect in about three weeks’ time.
Our healthcare system is stable, and we have built underground shelters in all hospitals, which are equipped with alternative power sources and medical supplies. At present, we also have sufficient medical staff.
I assume the Russians have not stopped attacking the city’s electricity infrastructure. How are you dealing with that problem?
It is very difficult to do anything when you are only two kilometers away from the enemy, and we cannot intercept all the drones or guided aerial bombs because we are so close to the front line, so the Russians are often able to destroy the protective structures and hit the electrical installations. Despite this, we are doing everything we can to repair and rebuild this infrastructure as quickly as possible.
How many drones does Russia use daily over Kherson? Does it use more modern drones, such as the Geran-4?
At the moment we have around 300 drones a day, but not long ago we had as many as 1,500 drones a day. Russia is using inexpensive drones and guided aerial bombs to attack Kherson, and is sending its most advanced models deep into Ukraine. In fact, we try to intercept them when they fly over our airspace.
What measures are being taken to deal with drones?
The use of nets is effective in stopping drones, and most of the city’s logistics routes and access routes to them are protected by anti-drone nets. We also protect the routes to the rear bases and many of the places where the city’s inhabitants pass through, and there are very few routes that are not protected by these nets. In fact, there are almost no drone attacks on the protected routes.
There are numerous videos of Kherson’s residents carrying out all sorts of activities underground. Is this an alternative to avoid drones from the surface?
Yes, many organizations are currently working underground, but there are many who simply have to work outdoors – for example, workers in the energy sector, police officers, emergency services and medical staff. And most people are still working and living in ordinary buildings. We simply do not have enough underground facilities for people to work in, and there is still a great deal of essential work that has to be carried out above ground.
In recent days, there has been an international campaign to draw attention to what is happening in the occupied town of Oleshky, which lies opposite Kherson on the left bank of the Dnieper. What’s happening in Oleshky and the surrounding area?
Russians are using the civilians who remained in Oleshky as human shields and are not allowing the approximately 2,000 people still there—including many elderly people and some children—to leave the city. They are living under occupation and are completely isolated, with very limited access to food and electricity. It is important for the Russians to hold these civilians captive because their presence prevents us from identifying and attacking the Russian positions on the left bank from which they are shelling Kherson. As long as those civilians are there, we have to be extremely careful in our attacks in those areas.
I’ve seen that you’re sending aid to the residents of Oleshky.
Yes, we’ve sent humanitarian aid using cargo drones at the initiative of the Kherson Military Administration. The supplies included items such as butter, cooking oil, and canned food. We dropped them at about a hundred locations, and although some of the shipments ended up in the hands of the Russian occupiers, many reached the residents of Oleshky.
Why are the Russians keeping the residents of Oleshky without food or electricity?
The reason is simple. To the occupiers, civilians are nothing more than a resource. They couldn’t care less about the people’s situation and have no intention of providing them with food or care. They value the residents’ lives less than those of animals, which is why they leave them to fend for themselves and survive under extremely difficult conditions.
As winter approaches, what does Kherson need most to keep going?
We need many things, but above all, we need a ceasefire, because even if we can install new generators and equipment, the Russians can still destroy them. If we’re talking about what we need from Europe, of course we need weapons and to create safe conditions so we can get through the winter. And we also need parts or complete transformers, because they’re one of the targets of Russian attacks. However, the best way to protect Kherson is to push Russian forces as far away from the riverbank as possible.
