American Resident in Ukraine Killed... "Shot Dead by Russian Sniper"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As an American citizen residing in Ukraine was reportedly killed by a Russian sniper's bullet, voices of condemnation against Russia are growing louder in the United States and the international community.

On the 17th (local time), the U.S. State Department announced that one American residing in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, had died. According to CNN, the deceased American was 68-year-old Jim Hill, who lived in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife, Ayra. At the outbreak of the war, he was hospitalized in a Chernihiv hospital to treat his wife's multiple sclerosis.

CNN reported, "According to a post on Twitter by Hill's sister, Hill was shot and killed by a Russian sniper while standing in line to get bread." It is presumed that he was a victim of indiscriminate attacks on civilians by Russian forces following the intensification of the stalemate on the main front lines. CNN also reported that his family has not been able to recover his body.

On the same day, it was reported that 10 civilians, in addition to Hill, died at the site of the civilian massacre. The Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office issued a statement saying, "Russian soldiers fired at people standing in line to get bread near a grocery store in Chernihiv," and "As a result, 10 civilians died," strongly condemning the act. The Russian side denies the announcement, claiming it is a Ukrainian hoax.

Russian forces are being accused of carrying out massacres through indiscriminate attacks on civilians not only in Chernihiv but across Ukraine. According to AFP and other news agencies, Russian forces bombed and destroyed a theater where civilians had taken refuge in Mariupol, southeastern Ukraine, on the same day.

The Mariupol City Council stated on social media, "The invaders indiscriminately destroyed a theater where more than 1,000 people had taken shelter," and "We will never forgive this." Ukrainian authorities estimate that at least 500 civilians were inside the theater at the time of the bombing, and it is presumed that hundreds of casualties occurred, including children and the elderly.

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