Russian Missile Strike Kills 51, Including Child, in Eastern Ukraine Village
At least 51 people, including a child, were killed in a Russian missile strike on a village near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, officials reported. The attack, which targeted a café and a shop in the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region, is one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the conflict began.
Scenes of emergency workers navigating through the rubble emerged following the attack. Six people were injured and are currently receiving treatment from doctors. The bodies of the deceased, including a 6-year-old boy, were recovered from the destroyed buildings. The Ukrainian interior minister confirmed that the bodies of 29 victims have been identified, with the other bodies sent to facilities in the city of Kharkiv.
The missile strike occurred as a wake for a fallen Ukrainian soldier was being held at the village café. Several family members of the soldier were among those killed in the attack. The soldier had previously been buried in another city but was reburied in his hometown. Relatives of the fallen soldier, including his son, wife, and mother, were present in the café at the time of the strike.
The attack used an Iskander missile, according to Ukrainian officials. Iskander is a ballistic missile with a short range and has been widely used by Russia against Ukraine, resulting in significant civilian casualties. Hroza is located near Kupiansk, which Russian forces seized at the beginning of the war but lost a year ago. The Ukrainian military has been attempting to resist further advances from Moscow.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called for increased defense systems to protect the country from terror attacks, citing concerns about the dwindling military aid from Western allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as a deliberate act of terrorism and called for the international community to stop Russia’s aggression.
European leaders were urged by Zelensky to preserve unity in the face of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal described the attack as “brutal and cynical,” expressing the need to coordinate efforts and seek support from partners to prevent further loss of life.
Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, labeled the attack a war crime, accusing Russian forces of intentionally targeting civilians. She called for accountability for those responsible for the attack.