HROZA, KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE – OCTOBER 5, 2023 In northeastern Ukraine, one of the most tragic attacks of the war took place. A Russian missile hit a local shop and cafe at a time when a mourning gathering for a fallen Ukrainian soldier was being held there. In the small village, where only a few hundred people lived, about sixty residents were present at that moment because they were attending a funeral memorial service for their neighbor.
The missile struck directly the building, which was full of civilians, and destroyed it immediately. Approximately fifty to sixty people died, including children, and the attack affected almost every family in the village. According to Ukrainian authorities and international investigations, it was a targeted strike on a civilian gathering that had no military significance. The event became a symbol of the high number of civilian casualties in the war and one of the most devastating single attacks on a populated area during the Russian invasion.
Aftermath photo
