In a heart-wrenching incident, seven individuals, including a mere 23-day-old baby girl, lost their lives due to Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region on Sunday. The country’s Internal Affairs Ministry confirmed the grim toll this shelling exacted on innocent lives.
The village of Shiroka Balka, nestled along the banks of the Dnieper River, bore the brunt of the artillery assault. Resulting in a family’s tragic demise – a husband, wife, their 12-year-old son, and the infant girl. Another village resident also tragically lost their life in the onslaught.
The neighboring village of Stanislav also felt the impact of this violence, with two men losing their lives and a woman sustaining injuries.
The Russian shelling on Kherson province followed statements from Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar on Saturday, who sought to dispel rumors about Ukrainian forces landing on the occupied left (east) bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region. Maliar emphasized, “There are no reasons for excitement.”
Ukraine says they achieved partial success
Kherson regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, however, disclosed that Russian attacks on the province on Saturday had left three individuals wounded.
Simultaneously, Ukrainian military officials conveyed that their forces had made headway in the southern theater of conflict. They reported progress near a crucial village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the capture of unspecified territories.
Ukraine’s General Staff acknowledged achieving “partial success” in the strategically significant Robotyne area within the Zaporizhzhia region. This area holds pivotal importance, representing a critical Russian stronghold. That Ukraine must reclaim to continue advancing southward towards Melitopol.
As the region continues to grapple with violence and turmoil, the devastating loss of innocent lives underscores the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict. The toll of such tragic events serves as a stark reminder of the human cost that conflicts of this nature exact on vulnerable communities.