One of the deadliest attacks on civilians took place when a Russian missile hit a cafe and grocery store in the village of Hroza in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 51 civilians.
Dozens of people were killed when a missile hit a village shop where people had gathered for a memorial service, Ukrainian officials said, in what appeared to be one of the deadliest wartime attacks on civilians in months.
Ukrainian officials said Hroza village was hit by an Iskander missile – a ballistic missile with a relatively short range, that depending on configuration carries a warhead of between 500 and 700 kilograms.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine condemned the attack in the tiny village of Hroza, which is roughly 23 miles southwest of the front line in the Kharkiv region, as a deliberate act of terrorism and “a demonstrably brutal Russian crime.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the incident was a deliberate attack on civilians and “no blind strike”.
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The russian army attacked a cafe in the village of Groza in the Kharkiv region, where a memorial service for a deceased fellow villager was being held. 51 people have been officially reported killed. Search operations are ongoing. pic.twitter.com/fznyYllBz6
— Donbas Frontliner (@frontliner_ua) October 5, 2023
The Kremlin often claims its missiles are aimed at military assets or blames the strikes on Ukraine. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin insists Russia does not target civilians.