Civilian Tragedy in Ukraine
A Russian military attack on a residential area of Kramatorsk on February 12 at 9:15 PM resulted in the deaths of five people, three of whom were children. The victims included two 19-year-old brothers, their eight-year-old sibling, and their mother. Their grandmother was also wounded in the assault. The 43-year-old mother of the deceased and the 65-year-old grandmother sustained the following injuries:
- blast injuries
- traumatic brain injuries
- concussion
- contusion
- bruising to the chest, spine, and arm
Law enforcement has launched a pre-trial investigation into the incident as a war crime under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code. Authorities are also working to determine the specific type of weapon used in the attack. These strikes on civilian areas are a grim hallmark of the ongoing invasion.
Drone Attack in Bohodukhiv
In a separate incident, a Russian drone strike on a house in Bohodukhiv killed three young children: two-year-old twin boys, Ivan and Vladyslav, and their one-year-old sister, Myroslava. Their father, Hryhorii Shykula, a war veteran, also perished. The family's home was completely destroyed and set ablaze, trapping them under the rubble. The children's mother, Olha Kryvohub, who was 35 weeks pregnant, survived the attack. She sustained blast injuries, a traumatic brain injury, acoustic barotrauma, and thermal burns, but has since been discharged from the hospital. Hryhorii Shykula and Olha Kryvohub had recently married and moved to the new home, hoping it would be safer from shelling.
These events are part of the wider conflict in Ukraine, which continues to claim a heavy toll on civilians. Establishing the precise circumstances of the attacks and the weapons used is a critical step in investigating potential war crimes and ensuring accountability. The situations in Kramatorsk and Bohodukhiv starkly illustrate the war's devastating impact on ordinary families striving for safety amidst relentless violence.