Ukraine: UN is investigating attack that killed dozens of civilians

A 10-year-old boy and his grandmother lost their lives in Ukraine today by a Russian missile attack. This occurred a day after another missile attack in the Kharkiwi region claimed the lives of at least 52 civilians, becoming one of the deadliest war attacks in recent months. The UN Office for Human Rights has sent a team to investigate the case. Moscow rejected accusations that it had undertaken the attack.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Volker Türk sent a team to Ukraine on Friday to investigate the air strike in the Kharkivi region, which claimed the lives of at least 52 people.

A coffee shop and food store in the village of Hroza were attacked with a rocket as people gathered to mourn for a fallen Ukrainian soldier. The UN Human Rights Office said it was likely carried out by Russia, but it is still too early to confirm that.

UN Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva that her chief “has sent a team on the ground to talk to survivors and gather more”.

It is clear that the attack is one of the deadliest since February 24th 2022. Before Russia's aggression, the village had about 300 inhabitants. It is not clear how many residents still lived there, but it is clear that with the large number of people killed, all in this small community have been affected by attack”, says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Elizabeth Throswell's spokeswoman.

Three days of mourning were announced in the Kharkiwi region following the attack.

Moscow denies deliberately attacking civilians, but many civilians were killed in other Russian attacks when populated areas were hit. Moscow has also carried out attacks on Ukrainian energy sources, protection, wheat, and other objects of vital importance.

“E reiterate that the Russian army does not hit civilian targets in Ukraine. The attacks target military infrastructure, troop concentrations and representatives of the Ukrainian military leadership”, says Russian presidency spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Ms. Throsswell says the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has identified the names of 35 people who were killed in the attack, including 19 women, 15 men and an eight-year-old boy.

Russian missile attacks have continued on Friday in the Kharchiv region, killing a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother. A senior government official said an 11-month-old child and another 27 people were injured. / VOA