Among other locals, US citizen Jimmy Hill, an English teacher who lived in the city with his Ukrainian wife, was killed in the shelling of Chernihiv by Russian troops on Thursday, March 17.
This was reported by Novynarnia
Jimmy, who has been in despair in recent days due to the constant bombing and siege of Chernihiv, obtained many concerned Ukrainians as followers on Facebook.
On Thursday, police said a US citizen was killed in the shelling of Chernihiv.
Adviser to the Minister of Interior Affairs Anton Herashchenko later published a photo of the victim’s passport: James Whitney Hill, United States, born on June 27, 1954, in Minnesota.
An American in besieged Chernihiv
James, nicknamed Jimmy on Facebook, taught English at a school in Chernihiv. He was married to Ukrainian Iryna, who had recently suffered a stroke and inflammation and was hospitalized.
James could leave Ukraine, like all US citizens, following his government’s instructions to do so a few weeks before the war. However, he would never leave his wife, who would have been difficult to transport at the time.
On his Facebook page, the man described the everyday life of the city, surrounded by Russian invaders. It was noticeable that he had been increasingly in despair.
In his letters at the start of the war, he called on his compatriots to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Also, Jimmy was outraged by Putin’s actions and called on Americans to put pressure on their government to speed up the issuance of visas for Ukrainian refugees.
At the urging of Ukrainian friends to ask the United States to agree to “close the sky” over Ukraine, Jimmy wrote: “They aren’t going to close skies. But we expecting MiG jets from Poland. I cannot do much about that but can offer Idaho and Montana until the situation here is over. Nobody knows when that will happen. I think it’s clear Ukraine will never have peace until Putin is eliminated. The question is would Putin’s replacement be more freedom loving or just another Tyrant and Ukrainian hater?”
“The war is not going as they expected. Excessive confidence leads to a lack of planning. Putin is paying for his arrogance. There is no ceasefire here” the American added.
He also half-jokingly wrote that it is good not to shave for a long time so that you look old and weak, which the occupiers are unlikely to be interested in grabbing.
During the last week, Jimmy complained about a complete lack of electricity to even charge the phone. Therefore, his posts on Facebook were brief.
“Constant bombings. Very cold. There is almost no food. There is no water. There is no light, no gas, no water.”
The last two letters from the American teacher, made at 11 a.m. on March 15, were as follows:
“Not allowed to take photos. Spies throughout the city. Bombing has intensified. No way out.”
“Intense bombing. Still alive. Limited food. Room very cold. Ira in intensive care”
James Hill was murdered standing in line for bread when a Russian shell exploded nearby.
Prepared by Lesya Shovkun
