Three Family Members Killed in Russian Military Shelling of Refugee Convoy

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Three members of a family fleeing were killed by mortar shelling by Russian forces on the outskirts of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

According to The New York Times (NYT), on the 6th (local time), Russian forces fired mortar shells at a column of refugees moving toward Kyiv in the small town of Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians had gathered around the Irpin River bridge heading to Kyiv since the previous day. As Ukrainian forces blew up the bridge to slow the Russian advance, refugees tried to cross the road beside the bridge to escape to the capital.

At that time, the refugees ran along the road in groups with other refugees, but the shells seemed to be targeting them as they flew and exploded.

NYT reported, "The shells first struck about 100 yards (approximately 91 meters) from the bridge, then later fell into the area where people were moving."

After the shells fell on the street, when the concrete dust cloud that rose with a thunderous explosion cleared, among the four family members, the mother, teenage son, and daughter who appeared to be about eight years old were already dead. The father survived but was seriously injured and unconscious.

As Russian forces currently occupy the northwest of Kyiv, including Irpin, residents consider fleeing safer than staying at home.

Oleksiy Kuleba, commander of Kyiv's defense, said, "Irpin is effectively surrounded, and the road to Kyiv is too dangerous." He added, "Unfortunately, without a ceasefire, we cannot evacuate the residents," appealing, "The invaders are blocking the evacuation of residents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.