Deadliest attack on Kharkiv region: What is known about Russian terrorist act in Hroza village
Deadliest attack on Kharkiv region (Getty Images)
At least 50 Ukrainians lost their lives in a Russian terrorist attack on a cafe and shop in the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region.
Read on RBC-Ukraine all the details on the deadliest attack in the Kharkiv region.
To prepare this report the following sources were used: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Kharkiv Regional Police, as well as statements of Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov, and Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Olena Shapoval.
Russian occupiers shelled the village of Hroza in the Kupiansk district at around 01.25 pm. They hit the local cafe and shop.
According to preliminary data, 50 people lost their lives in the Russian terrorist attack, including a 6-year-old child. Seven more people were injured, including one child.
The police report that they have rescued 56 people from the rubble so far. Law enforcement has already identified 29 bodies, and other bodies have been sent to experts in Kharkiv.
Minister Klymenko says that local residents were in the shop during the attack. Locals were also in the cafe, where a funeral service was being held for a villager. In total, there were about 60 people nearby.
The chief of the local police Volodymyr Tymoshko stated that there were no military personnel in the cafe and shop at the time of the shelling.
The minister noted that the Russian attack was precise because it targeted a small building. Therefore, it is likely that someone from the local Security Service or police provided information to the Russians. This possibility will be thoroughly investigated.
According to preliminary findings, the building was hit by an Iskander missile.
Currently, police, rescuers, and medical personnel are working at the scene. They are clearing the debris and rescuing the wounded. Investigative and operational teams are examining the site and documenting the aftermath.
Olena Shapoval, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, stated that the attack on Hroza was the deadliest in terms of casualties in the Kharkiv region since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
Law enforcement agencies have initiated a pre-trial investigation into violations of laws and customs of war combined with intentional homicide. The penalty includes up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Reaction from Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to the Russian crime as a deliberately cruel act of terror. He expressed condolences to all those who lost their loved ones.
"Russian terror must be stopped. Anyone who helps Russia bypass sanctions is a criminal. Anyone who still supports Russia supports evil. Russia needs these and similar acts of terror for one thing only: to make its genocidal aggression a new norm for the entire world. And I thank every leader and every nation that supports us in protecting lives," he wrote.
Zelenskyy is currently in Granada, Spain, attending a summit of the European Political Community. He is discussing strengthening Ukraine's air defense and its military with European leaders and ensuring protection from terror "And we will respond to terrorists," he said. "Absolutely justly. And powerfully."
What is known about the village of Hroza
The village of Hroza is located less than 100 km from the border with Russia.
Until today, the village was home to 330 people, and according to Tymoshko, there were no military personnel among them.
In the terrorist attack, 50 people lost their lives, which is 15% of the village's population.
