Ukraine is once again hit in the flesh. On Thursday, a Russian bombing left at least 49 dead in Groza, a village located in the Kharkiv region, in the east of the country. 20 minutes takes stock of the situation, after this new tragedy.
What happened ?
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 51 people were fatally injured by a Russian strike this Thursday on the village of Groza, a town located around thirty kilometers from Kupiansk, not far from the front line. The bombing took place in the early afternoon, around 1:15 p.m., and hit a grocery store and a cafe. According to the Ukrainian Interior Minister, the victims were gathered to celebrate the memory of a deceased villager.
Initially, President Volodymyr Zelenksy, currently in Spain for a meeting with European leaders, spoke of 48 deaths, before the toll was raised. “Five to seven people could be under the debris,” warned the Minister of the Interior.
The head of state denounced a “manifestly brutal Russian crime”, which decimated a village which had 500 inhabitants before the war. Since the start of the conflict, around 330 people still resided in the town, according to the Minister of the Interior. A 6-year-old boy was among the victims, according to regional governor Oleg Synegoubov, who also specified on Telegram that the attack left six injured.
It could be the deadliest attack in the Kharkiv region since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, a spokesperson for the regional assembly was quoted as saying by media.
Ukrainian presidency, Berlin, UN… What are the reactions after this tragedy?
After Volodymyr Zelensky, it was Mykhaïlo Podoliak, advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, who condemned the strike, denouncing an “insidious (Russian) attack which has no military logic”. A new event which, according to him, should serve as a “reminder to all those who are ready to smile and shake the hand of the war criminal Putin at international conferences”.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, through his spokesperson, “strongly condemns” the attack on the Russian village of Groza. “Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international humanitarian law and must stop immediately,” said his spokesperson.
Before the Secretary-General’s reaction, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown said she was “appalled” by the Russian strike, deeming the images “absolutely horrifying”.
“What happened today in the village of Groza is brutal and inhumane. Russia bears sole responsibility for this massacre of civilians,” German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger reacted on X (ex-Twitter), while recalling that “killing civilians is a war crime.”
What consequences after this Russian strike?
Shortly after the strike, Ukrainian Defense Minister Roustem Oumerov estimated on subject are underway with the allies. But the context does not seem ideal, with American reluctance to offer more financial aid.
Gathered in Spain around Volodymyr Zelensky this Thursday, nearly 50 European leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron notably expressed his “unfailing” support for his Ukrainian counterpart. The Ukrainian head of state also announced that Berlin is “working” to provide kyiv with a new Patriot anti-aircraft system. To be continued.