“The (Russian) occupiers attacked these civilians who were trying to escape the shelling.” “They fired at close range,” he added. “Police and experts were on site. According to the regional prosecutor’s office, seven cars driven by civilians were found.
“Two cars burned out completely, there were children with their parents: they burned alive,” he said in a statement. For the head of Ukraine’s security service, Vassili Maliouk, “the (Russians) are beaten on the battlefield and in desperation they respond by killing civilians. […] But they will not escape punishment. We will find everyone and hold them accountable for the atrocities committed.”
counteroffensive
On Friday, a team from Agence France Presse saw at least 11 bodies of civilians shot dead in their cars on a road abandoned by the Russians as they retreated from the region last week. These vehicles were exactly on a street in the village of Kyrylivka, 70 km east of Kharkiv, when they were targeted. The bodies were still there on the spot. A minibus burned out completely, on the seats lay four bodies, one of which appeared to be that of a child. The place where the dozen civilians were found is in a place where fighting between Ukrainians and Russians recently took place.