At least 49 people were killed in a Russian strike which notably hit a grocery store in a village in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities announced.
“There were residents in a store, and residents in the (neighboring) cafe who were also gathered for a ceremony in memory of a deceased villager,” said Interior Minister Igor Klymenko, specifying that the village had 330 residents.
President Volodymyr Zelensky first announced a death toll of 48 in this village located near the town of Kupiansk, close to the front line and regularly targeted by Russian bombings, denouncing “a manifestly brutal Russian crime”.
Shortly after, regional governor Oleg Synegoubov reported 49 deaths.
The attack took place around 1:15 p.m. local time, hitting a food store and a cafe in the village of Groza, about thirty kilometers west of Kupiansk, regional governor Oleg Synegoubov said on Telegram.
A six-year-old boy was among the dead, he added, with six also injured.
Mr. Zelensky posted a photo of several people lying on the ground and showing no signs of life.
In the images published by Mr. Synegoubov, we can see piles of debris and rescuers on site.
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