A Ukrainian monastery with a population of 1,000 was hit by Russian missiles and a train carrying evacuees was damaged by bomb debris last night as more than 2.6 million people fled the country.
Families, including 200 children, who took refuge in the Svyatogorsk Lavra, an Orthodox monastery in Donetsk region, were horrified after it was hit by a rocket last night.
The monastery says that the bomb exploded 50 meters from the bridge at the entrance to the territory, injuring several people.
Meanwhile, last night, the conductor of a train heading for refugees to the city of Liman, Donetsk region, was killed by fragments of a bomb.
Pavel Kirilenko, the governor of the Donetsk region, called the incidents “hellish crimes” and promised to punish those responsible.
This comes after the UN confirmed that nearly 2.7 million people have left Ukraine as refugees, with the vast majority heading west to EU countries, and the number is expected to rise to more than 4 million in the coming weeks.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that almost 125,000 people were evacuated from conflict zones along humanitarian corridors.
The Svyatogorsk Lavra, an Orthodox monastery, was hit by a bomb blast at the entrance last night.
The church has become a haven for families and people fleeing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
As a result of the incident, several people were injured, windows and doors were shattered by the force of the explosion.
The church leadership condemned the attack, calling it “an attack on a peaceful city.”
He added that a humanitarian aid convoy was heading to the besieged city of Mariupol, where 400,000 people found themselves without food and water.
The monastery protected hundreds of people from the ongoing conflict in the region when the peace it offered was destroyed last night.
After the explosion, several people were taken to the hospital, but, fortunately, no one died.
The monastery said on its website that windows and doors were blown out by the force of the explosion, and although several people had to be taken to a hospital in nearby Svyatogorsk, fortunately no one was killed.
Among those who took refuge in the place of worship, 200 children. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavel Kirilenko said 1,000 people were hiding at the place of worship at the time of the attack.
Ukrainian refugees arrive by ferry at the Isaccea-Orlovka border crossing in Romania, sensing conflict
More than 2.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last month.
Recent events of the war in Ukraine
- Russia launched a missile attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens.
- Explosions are heard on the outskirts of Lviv, a city that until recently was a refuge for refugees
- A tank column has begun to surround Kyiv as Russia attempts to cut it off from the rest of the country.
- Ukrainian officials say the strategically located town of Volnovakha “no longer exists” after days of Russian bombing.
- In Kharkov, in the east, a psychiatric hospital and 50 schools were destroyed.
- The mosque, which housed 80 civilians, was attacked and the blockade halted the delivery of new supplies to Mariupol as the city continues to be heavily bombed by Russian forces.
- The mayor of Melitopol was kidnapped by Russian soldiers after refusing to cooperate with the invaders
- Rocket strikes in Nikolaev on an oncological hospital with hundreds of patients inside
He wrote on Facebook: “As a result, one person was hospitalized, two treated injuries in Slovyansk on their own; 30 more people with minor injuries were taken to the scene. The infrastructure around the Lavra was damaged, private property was damaged.
‘Inhabitants [Russians] crossed all possible limits of common sense and humanity. They must be punished for their hellish crimes!
On its website, the monastery said: “On the night of March 12-13, all refugees and brethren were evacuated to the monastery cellars.
“Currently, there are 520 refugees in the Svyatogorsk Lavra, 200 of them are children. There are about 10 thousand refugees and local residents in the city of Svyatogorsk.
“The administration of the city of Svyatogorsk will soon restore the power supply to the city of Svyatogorsk and the Lavra, which is vital, because. The heating of the entire monastery complex depends on electricity.
“The leadership of the Lavra reports that there were no military formations on the territory of the monastery and the city. The blow was dealt to a peaceful city.
That same night, an evacuation train heading for refugees, including more than 100 children, was damaged by bomb fragments.
According to Ukrzaliznytsia, the train was heading to the city of Liman when it crashed into it near the Brusin station.
The operator said that one of the train conductors died and another was injured and taken to the hospital.
A statement on its Telegram said: “This is a terrible blow to those who save Ukrainian civilians every day and pave the way for more than 2 million survivors.”
Ukrzaliznytsia is now making every effort to evacuate the train crew of the damaged train and all passengers, including about 100 children, who were waiting for rescue at the Liman railway station.”
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