UN experts to collect evidence in Hroza village, where Russians killed 52 people in missile strike

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a field team to the village of Hroza, Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, to gather more information about this violation of laws and customs of war by the Russian forces.

Source: Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, website of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Quote: "The appalling scenes from the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine underscore once again the terrible price civilians are paying 20 months after Russia’s invasion.

According to local authorities, 52 people were killed when what appeared to be a Russian missile struck a café in the village, where people had gathered for a wake."

Details: The UN noted that representatives of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine identified the names of 35 people killed: 19 women, 15 men and an 8-year-old boy, as well as the names of five women and one man who were injured.

Among the deceased was a Ukrainian soldier who attended his father's funeral, authorities said.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that "this strike is one of the deadliest since 24 February 2022, but of course it is far from being the only one".

Quote: "The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who saw for himself the horrific impact of such strikes, is profoundly shocked and condemns this killing. He has deployed a field team to the site to speak to survivors and gather more information.

Before the Russian invasion, the village’s population was about 300. It is not clear how many residents were still living there, but it is clear that with the high number of people killed, everybody in this small community has been affected. We know at least eight families had more than one relative killed in the attack.

We stress once again that international humanitarian law, in particular the rules on conduct of hostilities, must be strictly respected."

Background: 

• On 5 October, the Russians struck a café in the village of Hroza, Kupiansk district, in Kharkiv Oblast. 
• Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, said that a memorial dinner for a deceased resident was being held in the café. He said that the strike was so precise that it is suspected that information leading to the attack had been provided by a local resident.
• As of the morning of 6 October, there is information on 52 people who were killed as a result of the attack. Among the dead are the widow and son of the Ukrainian servicemen whose wake was held that day after his reburial in his native village. The son of the serviceman was a former military man; he was killed along with his wife.
• A three-day mourning was declared in Kharkiv Oblast on 6-8 October.

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