The «Money for the Armed Forces» activist was not allowed into the Mykolaiv City Hall shelter during the alarm: the case was considered by the court

The Central District Court of Mykolaiv refused to recognize a participant of the «Money for the Armed Forces» rally as a victim, who was not allowed by city hall employees to take shelter during the air raid warning.

The decision of February 5 was published on the website of the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, NikVesti writes.

As you know, on December 16, during the air raid, the participants of the peaceful action «Money for the Armed Forces» wanted to enter the shelter in the building of the Mykolaiv City Council, but the guards of the city hall did not open the door, and people remained on the street. Already after the strike, the workers opened and said that the shelter works only on weekdays, although there are signs nearby to the nearest shelter, which is located in the city council.

A security guard of the city hall does not let Mykolaiv residents into the shelter on December 16, photo: Mykolaivska Pravda

The bomb shelter in Mykolaiv City Council, photo: Mykolaivska Pravda

Based on this fact, the law enforcement officers have started an investigation.

During the court session on January 11, the Central District Court satisfied the complaint of the activists, deciding to open criminal proceedings for not allowing people into the shelter, as reported by Nikcenter.

Later, the plaintiff in the case, the activist Ihor Finkelshtein, appealed to the court with a complaint about the inactivity of the investigators, where he asked to involve him in the criminal proceedings as a victim, but he was denied the request.

Public activist Ihor Finkelstein, photo: Mykolaivska Pravda

He stated that moral and physical damage was caused to his health, due to which the man experiences depression and emotional instability, which affected his blood pressure and heart pain.

In addition, as indicated in the case file, one of the activists was hospitalized that day.

But according to the decision of the investigators, the man was denied the request to be recognized as a victim, explaining this by the fact that he did not provide any confirmation of the damage caused to him.

During the court session on February 5, judge Olesia Deminska read the decision, where the complaint of the participant of the action was called unfounded and was not satisfied. The decision is not subject to appeal.

Olesia Deminska, judge of the Central District Court, photo: Mykolaivska Pravda

In turn, the participants of the action do not agree with the court's decision and want to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The state of shelters in Mykolaiv

In 2023, it became known that the Mykolayiv region is one of the six regions of Ukraine with the worst shelter conditions. According to Vitalii Kim, the largest percentage of abandoned warehouses is in the regional center.

It is worth noting that more than 70 million hryvnias were allocated from the city budget for the repair and equipping of shelters. However, the city budget of Mykolaiv will not receive funding from 102 million for the repair of protective structures in schools and kindergartens, which the Cabinet of Ministers has allocated for the Mykolaiv region.

In addition, due to constant changes in state building regulations, there is no shelter at the Mykolaiv Central City Stadium as of October 2023. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych emphasized their installation earlier.

By the end of 2023, the authorities have promised to repair 23 more shelters in residential buildings in Mykolaiv.