Russian strike on village kills 51, Ukrainian officials say, as Zelenskyy seeks more Western support
Ukrainian officials say at least 51 civilians were killed in a Russian rocket strike on a village store and cafe in the eastern part of the country in one of the deadliest attacks in recent months
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian rocket struck a village cafe and store in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy, attending a summit of about 50 European leaders in Spain to drum up support from Ukraine's allies, denounced the strike in the village of Hroza as a “demonstrably brutal Russian crime” and “a completely deliberate act of terrorism.”
About 60 people were in the cafe, attending a wake after a funeral, said Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko, who provided the death toll.
Among the dead was a 6-year-old boy, and seven other people were wounded, said presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak and Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov.
According to preliminary information from Kyiv, the village was hit by an Iskander missile. Emergency crews searched the smoldering rubble of damaged buildings. Ukrainian prosecutors released photos showing bloodied bodies.
Hroza, which had a population of about 500 before the war, is located in the northeastern Kharkiv region. The village and other parts of the region were seized by Russia early in the war and recaptured by Ukraine in September 2022.
The village is only 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Kupiansk, a key focus of the Russian military effort. Zelenskyy had visited the area Tuesday to meet with troops and inspect equipment supplied by the West.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy was at a summit of the European Political Community in Granada,
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