Chernihiv surgeon says Russian pledge to cut back operations a 'great lie' as explosions heard

• 'We don't have silence...it's a lie': Chernihiv surgeon says Russian pledge to cut back military activity is false

A surgeon, who is working day and night at two hospitals in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, has said Russia's pledge to cut back its military operation in the region is "a great lie".

Roman Bondarenko, who moments earlier had said the city was enjoying a rare moment of quiet from Russia attacks, was forced to run to a place of safety during an interview with ITV News as loud explosions were heard nearby.

Russia said it would reduce “military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv," after talks on Monday.

But despite the pledge, there has continued to be heavy shelling in Ukrainian cities, including Chernihiv.

"We don't have silence," Mr Bondarenko said.

"It's a lie," he said when asked if he believed the Russians were scaling down their military operations.

"They're nearby, they destroy our city, they destroy (the) electric, they destroy water, they destroy our supermarkets."

He said people had been killed queuing for bread.

"We don't have electricity, we don't have water. We have a little gas. Once or twice in a day our government sends us a little water in cars," he said.

Mr Bondarenko said there was an attack about a kilometre from where he was standing and he had treated severely wounded people in his hospital.

Asked if there was anything normal left from his life before the Russian invasion since the war began, he said it was "perfect" if they had water for five minutes or light from a diesel generator that meant they were also able to recharge your phone.

"It's not an easy situation," Mr Bondarenko said.He said they had bandages and some antibiotics at the hospital he worked at, where they were treating badly injured patients wounded by the shelling.

As the bombs continued to fall, he said Russian agreements were not worth the paper they were written on.

But in the face of continued bombardment, he said residents of the city continued to stand firm against Russian aggression.

"We're not giving up," he said, "we should have victory in this war," as explosions sounded in the background and he moved to a place of safety.

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