Residents of Newton’s sister city terrorized by most recent Russian attack

On Saturday morning, Dec. 30, 2023, I was shocked and dismayed to hear from friends in Smila, Ukraine, Newton’s Sister City, that the city was attacked by Russian forces the day before.

Marina Reingold, a teacher of English and German at the V. T. Senator Gymnasium in Smila, whom I met in 2018, characterized the attacks as “massive.” Attacks occurred twice at night, she told me, “and the last one at about 3:00 p. m.”

“I had just come back from work and in a couple of minutes after the alarm the rocket struck the residential area nearby,” Reingold advised. “It was so scary. Thank God everyone is alive, but 51 private houses are damaged and 10 of them are destroyed.”

Viktoriia Mishchenko, whose younger sister, Sofiia, was a student at Newton Senior High School in 2019-20, also provided some details regarding the attacks.

“Twelve people were injured,” she informed me, “one person is in a very serious condition. It happened in the other part of the city from Lyceum and my parents’ home, but we all heard it very loudly.”

The Lyceum is a school that the City of Newton has supported financially in years past.

Resulting fires were “extinguished immediately,” Vika said.

She reiterated what Reingold said about the situation being so fearful, “especially when you have a small child with you.”

Vika is the mother of a toddler, Maria, who is 2½ years old. Her husband, Maxim, “is currently on the front line.” Her father, Valery, is “at home,” she said, “as he is engaged in providing the military with everything they need.”

Smila is located in central Ukraine near the Tyasmyn River, a tributary of the Dnieper River, in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast.

According to Dinara Khalilova and The Kyiv Independent news desk, at least nine people, including a child, were injured after a missile struck the residential area in Smila.

Ihor Taburets, head of Cherkasy Oblast Military Administration, reported that Smila was attacked by Russian missiles at around 3:30 p. m. local time. The Air Force earlier alerted the populace about enemy missiles approaching the region.

“Taburets didn’t specify how many missiles actually hit the region,” the Independent said.

The papersaid Russia carried out a “mass attack” against Ukraine “early” on Dec. 29, “launching 158 attack drones and missiles at cities across the country.”

On Dec. 31, Tetiana Lozovenko, of Ukrainska Pravda, reported that Taburets made the following “tragic announcement” on Telegram: “A Russian missile has claimed the life of a 61-year-old resident of Smila, Nadiia Ivanivna Holub. Doctors have been fighting to save her life since Friday, when the enemy hit the city.” The woman died in hospital.