(Reuters) – A Russian attack that killed dozens of people in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday was one of the deadliest single strikes on civilians since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians, but many have been killed in missile strikes, drone attacks and shelling.
Below, in chronological order, are some of attacks with the highest civilian death tolls since the start of the war.
HROZA, Oct. 5, 2023
A Russian missile slammed into a cafe and grocery store in the northeastern village of Hroza, killing at least 51 people as they held a memorial service, Ukrainian officials said.
KOSTIANTYNIVKA, Sept. 6, 2023
At least 16 people were killed in an explosion at a busy market in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka. Ukraine said that the blast was caused by a Russian missile. The New York Times reported that the explosion may have been caused by an errant missile fired by Ukraine.
KRAMATORSK, June 27, 2023
A Russian missile hit a pizza restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, killing 13 people, including 14-year-old twin sisters. The missile struck when the restaurant and its large outdoor terrace were packed with customers. The Russian defence ministry said a temporary Ukrainian army command post had been hit in Kramatorsk, killing two Ukrainian generals and up to 50 officers.
UMAN, April 28, 2023
At least 23 civilians were killed, including six children, when a high-rise apartment block was hit in a Russian missile in the central town of Uman, Ukrainian officials said. Many others were wounded in the attack, which destroyed a large number of apartments.
SLOVIANSK, April 14, 2023
Russian missiles slammed into apartment blocks in the eastern city of Sloviansk, killing 15 people and causing severe damage, Ukrainian officials said. Sloviansk was hit as Russian and Ukrainian forces fought for control of the nearby city of Bakhmut.
DNIPRO, Jan. 14, 2023
An apartment building in the central city of Dnipro was hit during a major Russian missile attack, killing at least 45 people, Ukrainian officials said. The air force said Russia hit the building with a Soviet-era Kh-22, a type missile which Kyiv said was inaccurate but could not be shot down by its air defences.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Sept. 30, 2022
Up to 32 civilians were killed and almost 100 wounded in what Kyiv said was a Russian missile strike on a convoy of civilian cars on the edge of the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials said. The convoy had been assembling at a car market, preparing to leave territory controlled by Ukraine to visit relatives and deliver supplies in an area occupied by Russia. Pro-Russian officials blamed the attack on Ukraine.
VINNYTSIA, July 14, 2022
Ukraine said Russian Kalibr cruise missiles hit the centre of the city of Vinnytsia, killing 27 people. Ukrainian officials said the attack on the city about 200 km (125 miles) southwest of Kyiv was carried out with missiles fired from a submarine in the Black Sea. The missiles destroyed a medical centre and some people arriving for treatment were burned alive in their cars outside, the owner of the centre said.
CHASIV YAR, July 9, 2022
A Russian missile struck an apartment block in the eastern town of Chasiv Yar, west of Bakhmut. Emergency services put the death toll at 48 after a five-storey building partially collapsed in the strike.
ODESA, July 1, 2022
Russian missiles struck an apartment building and two holiday camps in the Black Sea region of Odesa, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens, Ukrainian authorities said. The regional governor said Russia had used Kh-22 missiles, and subsequent reports put the toll at up to 22.
KREMENCHUK, June 27, 2022
A Kh-22 missile fired by a Russian bomber hit a crowded shopping mall in the centre of Kremenchuk, far from the front lines, killing at least 20 people and wounding 59, Ukrainian authorities said.
KRAMATORSK, April 8, 2022
Ukraine and its allies blamed Russia for a missile attack that killed 61 people at a train station packed with women, children and the elderly fleeing the threat of a Russian offensive in the east.
MARIUPOL, March 16, 2022
A drama theatre where Kyiv said hundreds of people were sheltering in the besieged southern city of Mariupol was bombed. The exact death toll is disputed, with estimates ranging up to 600. Amnesty International said “at least a dozen people and likely many more” were killed in what it said was “a clear war crime”. Russia denied it was behind the attack though its denial was refuted by independent investigations such as the one by Amnesty.
(Compiled by Elaine Monaghan and Anna Pruchnicka, Editing by Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage and Alex Richardson)
