MOSCOW (Reuters) – At least seven people were killed and more than 20 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on a busy market in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Russian-installed governor Vladimir Saldo said on Thursday.
The drones targeted the market in the town of Oleshky at around 0930 local time, Saldo wrote on Telegram. He alleged that after a first wave of strikes, Ukraine had sent more drones to try to “finish off the survivors”.
Another Russian official, quoted by state media, alleged that Ukrainian forces used cluster munitions against ambulances gathering at the scene.
Reuters could not independently confirm the allegations. There was no comment from Ukrainian officials.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of deliberately targeting civilians in the course of the war, now well into its fourth year, something both sides deny.
Civilian casualties have been far higher on the Ukrainian side. Russian strikes last month which it said had targeted military targets killed 19 people in the city of Kryvyi Rih, 35 in Sumy and 12 in the capital Kyiv, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to “STOP!”
Rodion Miroshnik, a special ambassador for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, called the strike on Oleshky a “monstrous atrocity” that made a mockery of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s talk about peace.
Ukraine says it wants a ceasefire of at least 30 days to open the way for talks on securing a just peace. Russia has not agreed to such a truce, but Putin has unilaterally announced a three-day ceasefire next week and the Kremlin says he is open to direct talks with Kyiv.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn)
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