A Russian air strike that reportedly killed 47 civilians as they queued for bread in Chernihiv on Thursday may constitute a war crime, an
investigation by Amnesty International has found.
At around 12.15pm on 3 March a square was hit by multiple bombs, killing civilians and severely damaging buildings.
Analysis by the NGO’s crisis response team has concluded that the attack was most likely a Russian air strike that used at least 8 unguided aerial bombs known as “dumb bombs”.
Alina, a 21-year-old student who lives nearby with her family told Amnesty International:
“I heard a very, very loud buzzing, and I felt our building shaking. It was as if our flat was inflating… And then after two seconds, I heard the windows get blown out into the courtyard. Our building shook a lot; I thought there would be no walls left.
“When I heard the buzz, I called my grandma into the corridor with me. We laid on the ground and that’s likely what saved us.”
She said her parents, who also survived, had been in the line for bread but decided to leave because the queue was too long. “The people who were in that line are no more.”
Oksana Pokalchuk, director at Amnesty
Ukraine, today said: “The attack should be investigated as a war crime.”