Russian soldiers shot dead at least 10 Ukrainian civilians who were queuing for bread outside Chernihiv. A video of the aftermath of the brutal shooting shows bodies lying on the street amid heavy bombardment by Russian air force. The US embassy in Kyiv has described the attack as "horrific".
The motionless bodies of ten people were found sprawled on the street after they were reportedly slain in cold blood, according to footage published by the Ukrainian website Public and confirmed by the US Embassy in Kyiv. The chilling footage is once again proof of the Russian hostilities on Ukrainian civilians, which Kremlin has so far denied.
Ruthlessly Killed
The chilling footage shows the ruthlessness of the Russian forces and their growing frustration over the huge losses suffered over the past three weeks. According to the US Embassy in Kyiv, the 10 people were standing in a queue to buy bread in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.
The Russian armed forces saw them, came closer and randomly fired at them killed all the innocent and unarmed civilians. "Today, Russian forces shot and killed 10 people standing in line for bread in Chernihiv," the embassy said in a tweet.
"Such horrific attacks must stop. We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any atrocity crimes in Ukraine."
Chernihiv, in the north of the country, is one of the cities Russian troops had to pass on their way to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The governor of the Chernihiv region described the problem as there is no electricity in the city or in the outlying towns.
Viacheslav Chaus, on the other hand, claimed that Ukrainian forces were dealing "strong blows on the Russian enemy every hour"
Thousands of civilians have been killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with residential buildings, hospitals and schools among those hit by Kremlin airstrikes.
Russia's War Crime
Under international humanitarian law, the killing of civilians, particularly those who do not pose a threat, is considered a war crime. Despite this, Russian officials maintain that their forces have solely attacked key military targets and are not waging war on Ukraine's civilian population.
The slaying of the 10 citizens comes after drone footage emerged on Tuesday that showed a group of Russian soldiers killing a lone Ukrainian civilian who was attempting to surrender on a highway west of Kyiv. The incident happened last week.
The massacre of innocent citizens in Chernihiv came only days after a man was executed by Russian troops while attempting to surrender on a road outside of Kyiv. A video of the incident was obtained by German broadcaster ZDF and taken on March 7.
The video shows a silver automobile travelling along the E40 European expressway west of Kyiv in the video. The vehicle was on its way to Kyiv when the driver noticed a Russian tank and a squad of soldiers parked off to the side of the road and performed a quick U-turn before braking and coming to a halt.
The man got out of the car and turned to face the Russian soldiers, raising his hands above his head in an unambiguous gesture of surrender. But he was gunned down in cold blood in a matter of seconds.
There are just a few of the hundreds of instances of war crimes by Putin's army. On Tuesday, the US Senate named Putin a war criminal, calling for an investigation into the Russian president and his totalitarian rule in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.
As the conflict approached its 21st day, a unanimous vote was passed late Tuesday night. Since the assault began, the UN has recorded the deaths of around 700 civilians, with more than 3 million people fleeing Ukraine.
