At Least 49 Killed in Russian Missile Strike on Village Grocery Store and Café in Ukraine

At least 49 people were killed in a Russian missile strike on a village grocery store and café in Ukraine’s east on Thursday, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack is one of the worst on civilians since the start of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion last year.

Images shared online by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office showed emergency workers examining a huge pile of crushed concrete and twisted metal at the scene of the purported strike, while others showed the bodies of victims laying on the ground after being removed from the rubble.

In a statement, Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a “demonstrably brutal Russian crime” and a “completely deliberate act of terrorism.” He said more than 48 people were killed, and the country’s prosecutor general later put the death toll at at least 49.

The attack has been widely condemned by the international community, with the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire and for all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks that have taken place since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and has raised concerns about the safety of civilians in the region. The Ukrainian government has called for an investigation into the incident and for those responsible to be held accountable.