A Russian airstrike on the village of Hroza, located southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine, resulted in the loss of at least 51 lives, one of which was a six-year-old child..
The deadly incident occurred when locals had gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of a villager, according to a BBC report.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry responded to the tragedy, stating that there were no military objectives in the vicinity; The attack had indiscriminately targeted civilians.
This attack has sent shockwaves across the region, with Kharkiv regional head Oleh Synyehubov calling it one of the “bloodiest crimes” witnessed in the area.
A Ukrainian community in mourning
Oleh Synyehubov confirmed that all the victims were residents of the village of Hroza. In 2020, the village had a population of approximately 501 people, making the loss of 51 lives in a single bombing a devastating blow, representing 10% of the village’s population.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko highlighted the widespread impact of the attack, saying: “From every family, from every home, there were people present.”
The Kupyansk district, of which it is a part Hroza, has been a battlefield for clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces since the large-scale invasion initiated by Vladimir Putin in February of the previous year.
Hroza played an important role as a supply center for Russian forces at the beginning of the war, but was recaptured by kyiv in September 2022 after months of intense fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not mince his words in condemning the attack, describing it as a “brutal russian crime. He highlighted Russia’s apparent intention to normalize genocidal aggression on the global stage. In particular, the Home Secretary revealed that the attack had used an Iskander missile, although independent verification of this claim remains pending.
As the tragic events unfolded, President Zelensky was attending the European leaders’ summit in Granada, Spain. There, European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell expressed concern about political infighting in the United States that could jeopardize funding for the Ukrainian military.
The recent US congressional budget deal omitted funding for Ukraine, raising concerns about the loss of US support.
According to the BBC, Josep Borrell emphasized the irreplaceable role of the United States in providing support, stating that Europe alone could not fill the funding gap left by the United States.
The diplomatic discussions came as Ukraine sought additional air defense missiles and underscored the vital role Ukraine plays in countering Russian aggression and protecting other nations.
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