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Despite Russia’s insistence that it does not deliberately target civilians in its war in Ukraine, the body count continues to rise following its strikes. The recent missile strike in a city in central Ukraine led to around 20 killed and at least 50 wounded.
Ukrainian officials said that Russian missiles hit the central city of Vinnytsia Thursday, the missiles coming from a submarine in the Black Sea. The strike by Russian forces led to at least 20 civilians dead and around 50 wounded.
Officials said three children were among the 20 fatalities from the strike in Vinnytsia, with photos and video footage of the attack published. The Ukrainian military said the city, which is southwest of the capital Kyiv, was struck by three Russian Kalibr cruise missiles that were fired from an unnamed submarine, and Ukrainian forces shot down two others.
Law enforcement officials said at least 50 people were wounded from the strike and 15 others have yet to be accounted for.
“Cruise missiles hit two community facilities, houses were destroyed, a medical center was destroyed, the cars and trams were on fire,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a virtual address at an international conference that aimed to prosecute war crimes committed in Ukraine. “This is the act of Russian terror…20 people died as of now.”
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the recent attack was proof of “genocide” during a briefing. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also accused Russia of committing “another war crime.”
At the conference in The Hague, the headquarters of the International Criminal Court, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and Mexico were among the 45 countries that have pledged to coordinate investigations to find proof of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The steps included in the political declaration signed by all states in attendance would be establishing an umbrella group to avoid duplicate probes, training Ukrainian prosecutors, and expanding forensic teams that are operating in Ukraine.
The 45 countries also pledged $20 million to assist the International Criminal Court and the prosecutor general’s office in Ukraine, and United Nations support efforts.
