One of the deadliest single Russian attacks to date in the war against Ukraine claimed the lives of 51 residents of the village of Hroza. Survivors believe that the Russians may have received help from a traitor.
Ukrainian crews carry away one of the victims after the Russian attack on Thursday. At least 51 were killed. Photo: Alex Babenko/AP
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Published: 06.10.2023 09:17 | Updated: 06/10/2023 09:42
The short version
The Russian attack on the Ukrainian village of Hroza resulted in 51 deaths and six wounded. The missile hit a cafe and shop. People had gathered to remember a soldier from the village. There are suspicions that the attack may have been facilitated by treachery. Western leaders condemn the attack, and international law experts call it a serious war crime.
The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality assured by Aftenposten’s journalists.
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We warn of strong images in this case.
A Russian missile slammed into a cafe and grocery store in the small village of Hroza in Kharkiv on Thursday. The Ukrainian authorities state that so far 51 people have been found dead and six injured. Among the victims was a six-year-old girl.
On the lawn opposite the ruins of the cafe lay blackened and dismembered bodies from what may have been one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
When night fell six hours after the attack, police and soldiers were still working to number the unidentified dead. In the light of floodlights, corpses and body parts were placed in white body bags.
The attack is condemned by Western leaders. Both Great Britain, the United States and Norway condemn the attack on Kharkiv.
– Russia’s terrible terror against Ukraine’s civilian population shows no signs of abating and reached another grim milestone today, stated EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell in a press release.
Several international law experts characterize the missile attack as a serious war crime.
– It is obvious that this is a violation of international law. This is similar to what happened in Butsha, where the Russians killed people within an area they occupied. The number of dead can be compared to that crime, says professor of international law, Ove Bring til The Express.
– Russia’s terrible attack in Hroza is yet another demonstration of their complete lack of respect for civilian lives, international law and the UN charter, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) in a statement.
Think they were betrayed
The village, which is about 30 kilometers from the front line, was probably hit by a Russian Iskander missile, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
The dead were gathered in a playground close to the crime scene. This ambulance worker was strongly affected by what he saw Photo: STRINGER / Reuters / NTB
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Police tell AFP they are investigating several possibilities as to why the village was chosen as a target. One theory is that someone gave Russian forces the coordinates of the cafe.
– There are still many people in the village who would be happy if the Russians returned, says Vasyl Pletinka (63), who lives right next to the cafe, to AFP.
Hroza was one of the villages in northeastern Kharkiv occupied by Russia in the early days of the invasion in February 2022, before Ukrainian soldiers retook it later that year.
Late on Thursday evening, the crews at the site still had 15 bodies left to identify, said Sergij Boldyrev, who leads the investigation for the police in Kharkiv. Photo: Alex Babenko / AP / NTB
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Memorial service for soldiers
On the spot, the AP news agency spoke, among other things, to Dmytro Netshvolot, who was looking for his 60-year-old father. The father was one of many gathered for a memorial service for a soldier from the village who was killed last year but reburied in his hometown now after being DNA-identified.
Dmytro found his father’s red car parked nearby, just waiting for confirmation that he was one of the victims of the attack.
– I have lost a man I looked up to. A much-loved father and unforgettable grandfather, says the son.
On Thursday, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the attack killed a fifth of the population of Hroza, which was said to have 300 inhabitants.
Later, the Kharkiv State Prosecutor’s Office stated that before the attack, no more than 100 people lived in the village.
This means that half of the population was killed in the attack, writes The Kyiv Independent.
– Deliberate attack
Rescue workers and fire crews worked all Thursday in the ruins of the cafe and shop with shovels.
Blackened and dismembered bodies were collected and stored in a nearby playground. Police and soldiers have been working to identify the dead throughout the night.
The hand of one of the more than 50 victims of the attack. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters / NTB
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On Friday, the AFP news agency found a man named Sergij lying motionless huddled next to a body bag still lying on the ground. His right hand rested on top of the white plastic.
His wife Svetalana was cooking for the memorial service when a rocket hit the cafe, he says. Sergij himself was a kilometer away when it happened, he says, without getting any more words out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no doubt that the attack was deliberate when he gave his evening speech on Thursday.
– The Russian military could not avoid knowing where they hit. It was not a random attack. People gathered for a memorial meal. Who can think of sending a rocket at them? Whose? This is absolute evil, Zelenskyy said.
Did you bring the podcast Dypdykk? In this week’s episode, we look at the communication strategy of Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
2023-10-06 07:36:25
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