At least 21 people have been killed in Russian attacks on a supermarket and other targets in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian authorities. 48 others were wounded.
Many of the victims were employees and customers who went shopping for groceries on Wednesday morning. The death toll rose gradually throughout the day.
– So far, 21 people have been killed! 48 wounded! All civilians, writes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.
Brutal pictures
According to the president, Russian artillery hit a railway station, an intersection, a house, a haberdashery, a supermarket and a gas station.
Four were killed in villages outside Kherson, according to Reuters. Among them were three engineers working to repair damage to the electricity network following previous attacks.
BLOOD: An injured man sits outside the supermarket that was attacked on Wednesday morning. Photo: Dina Pletinchuk/AFP
Several very brutal images have been circulated on social media showing dead people lying in the destroyed supermarket. President Zelensky also posted some of these on his Telegram account.
– We can’t negotiate with killers. They must be held accountable, Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said in a statement.
Russia has not commented on the incident, but due to the city’s proximity to the front line, it is bombed regularly. Russia captured Kherson in March 2022, but Ukrainian forces retook the city in November.
– Attack peaceful cities
Russia has carried out more and more airstrikes in recent days, while Ukraine is preparing a counter-attack to try to recapture occupied areas in the Kherson region.
Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Kherson in November, after eight months of occupation. Since then, Russian forces have held their territory on the other side of the Dnipro River
Front Line: Kherson is located on the front line between the occupied territories of Ukraine and Russia. The map shows the front line for all of April 26th. Image: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
– When the enemy is unable to achieve anything on the battlefield, they attack peaceful cities, army spokesman Serhiy Cherifati said, according to Reuters.
The governor of Kherson province, Oleksandr Prokudin, imposed a 58-hour curfew in the city from Friday night to Monday morning. In the past, the Ukrainian authorities have imposed long curfews to facilitate the movement of troops and weapons, according to Agence France-Presse.
Kherson residents are not allowed in and out of the city, and are only allowed to go on short walks near their homes or to shops.
– These temporary restrictions are necessary so that the authorities can do their job and not put you in danger, Prokudin writes on Telegram. He also advises people to stock up on food and medicine.
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