Gradual return to Kyiv possible after 9 May - Klitschko

DENYS KARLOVSKYI —  SATURDAY, 7 MAY 2022, 15:29

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has emphasised that the threat of shelling and provocations in Kyiv remains high, but after 9 May, residents who left the capital may gradually come back to the city. 

Source: Klitschko in a comment to "Radio NV"

Klitschko's quote: "I recommend Kyiv residents not to hurry to return to Kyiv, given the danger. [Seizing] the capital was and remains the aggressor's goal.

[There are] A large number of mines in the suburbs and in forest parks. The military says much of [these areas] remain dangerous.

We can't guarantee security yet, but after 8-9 [May] it will be possible to return gradually to the capital."

Details: The mayor of the capital explained that,  together with the military leadership, they decided not to introduce a "long" curfew on 8-9 May. The city authorities hope that there will be no shelling by the occupiers and no panic among the population on these days, but provocations from the invaders cannot be excluded.

On 8-9 May, all mass events were banned in Kyiv. In addition, the military and law enforcement will provide enhanced patrols.

According to Klitschko, the number of people who have returned to Kyiv is being calculated by the number of mobile phones in the area of ​​communication antennas in Kyiv.

Before the start of the large-scale war, about 3.5 million people used to stay overnight in the capital. Now, according to Klitschko, local authorities register about 2 million 200 thousand Kyiv residents.

The smallest number recorded during the fierce fighting on the outskirts of the capital was about one million people.

Background: 

• [The local authorities] have decided to leave the curfew on 8 and 9 May the same as in the previous hours: from 10 pm to 5 am.
• From 16 May, Kyiv authorities plan to resume charging for the use of public transport. Fares have been waived since the first day of the large-scale Russian invasion.
• On the outskirts of Kyiv, especially in the north-western districts, there is a danger of mines and unexploded ordnance.
• The US government is considering returning embassy diplomatic staff to Kyiv by the end of May. Before that, Great Britain, France, Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Turkey and about a dozen other countries will have returned their diplomats to the capital.
• In mid-April, the mayor of Kyiv said it was too early to return [to the capital], but the number of people staying overnight in Kyiv had risen at that point to 2.1 million.