Zelensky criticized Kiev officials.

The Ukrainian president criticized officials in Kyiv and other cities for "negligence" after three people died because a bomb shelter was not opened in time.

Three people died on June 1st from missile debris outside a bomb shelter in the Desnyansky district, northeast of Kyiv. Among the victims were a 9-year-old girl and her mother. The husband of the third victim said the shelter door was tightly shut after the air raid siren sounded, despite people outside knocking for a long time.

"The very specific task of local authorities is to ensure that shelters are ready and accessible to the public at all times. It is heartbreaking to witness the negligence in carrying out this task and the resulting casualties," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 2.

Zelensky did not name Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko or other local officials in his criticism. However, Zelensky suggested that Kyiv officials bear some degree of responsibility for the inability of citizens to access bomb shelters.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko (second from left) at the scene of a missile debris crash that killed three people on June 1. Photo: Guardian — Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko (second from left) at the scene of a missile debris crash that killed three people on June 1. Photo: *Guardian*

Following Zelensky's statement, Mayor Klitschko responded, "This is a shared and fair responsibility between the parties," adding that the Ukrainian president directly appoints district-level officials in Kyiv. Nine of these ten individuals belong to Zelensky's Servant of the People party.

Mayor Klitschko announced that Kyiv authorities would investigate the deaths of three people outside a bomb shelter. He affirmed that police would patrol to ensure bomb shelters in Kyiv remain open, while also complaining that funding for these facilities would run out by the end of June.

Colonel Serhiy Popko, spokesman for the Kyiv military , said some people may have entered the bomb shelter before the three victims. "National Emergency Response Agency personnel said that after the explosion, rescue forces brought some people out of the bomb shelter. Some may have arrived earlier," Colonel Popko said.

Russia has recently intensified its nighttime airstrikes targeting Ukrainian military and air defense positions in Kyiv with missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Most of the airstrikes over the past week have not caused any civilian casualties in Kyiv, although they have inflicted some material damage.