Located a mere 30 kilometers from the war’s southern front lines, Ukraine’s shipbuilding capital Mykolaiv has been a constant target for the Russian military throughout its full-scale invasion. Shelled almost daily, the regional capital with a pre-war population of 480,000 has seen over 500 residential buildings destroyed and more than 130 civilians killed by Russian attacks, according to Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych. More than 600 civilians have been injured. While many residents have

MYKOLAIV – After quickly occupying Kherson in the first days of the full-scale invasion, Russia turned its sight towards Mykolaiv, Ukraine’s shipbuilding center. Many expected the regional capital of 480,000 people to fall next. On Feb. 25, one day after Russia began its invasion and southern offensive, Major General Dmytro Marchenko was sent to his home region tasked with defending Mykolaiv. He has been in charge of the key city’s defense ever since. “When I arrived, there were no checkpoint