On 16 March 2022, a Russian attack killed 14 civilians in Chernihiv,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, who were waiting in a line for bread.

Background

The Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has seen attacks by Russian forces since 24 February 2022, the day in which the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

started. The battles of Chernihiv have caused heavy civilian losses. On 3 March, the city suffered a bombing that killed 47 people. Russian

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Andrei Sukhovetsky, then deputy commander of the

41st Combined Arms Army The 41st Combined Arms Army (russian: 41-я общевойсковая армия) is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, currently part of the Central Military District. Originally, it was formed in 1942 as part of the Soviet Red Army, dur ...

, was killed on 4 March, the day after the bombing, becoming the first Russian general to die during the 2022 Russian invasion. On 10 March, the city entered a siege which lasted until 31 March when the Ukrainian forces managed to undo the encirclement of the city. As fighting continued, more civilians died in Chernihiv. On 16 March, the

Governor of Chernihiv Oblast The Governor of Chernihiv Oblast is the head of executive branch for the Chernihiv Oblast. The office of Governor is an appointed position, with officeholders being appointed by the President of Ukraine, on recommendation from the Prime Minis ...

Vyacheslav Chaus Vyacheslav Anatoliyovych Chaus ( uk, В'ячеслав Анатолійович Чаус; born on 28 August 1977), is a Ukrainian politician who is currently the governor of Chernihiv Oblast since 4 August 2021. Biography Vyacheslav Chaus was b ...

reported that the Russian attacks on Chernihiv on that day alone had killed a total of 53 people.

Attack

The event was reported by Chaus as well as the United States Embassy in Kyiv. On Ukrainian television, Chaus said the attack, which he described as a bombing, was "not the first such incoming shell, nor is it the first shelling of civilians by the enemy". The US Embassy reported that the people had been "shot and killed". 14 people were reported dead by

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

. The incident happened at around 10:00

UTC+3 UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03:00. In areas using this time offset, the time is three hours later than the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Following the ISO 8601 standard, a time with this offset would be wri ...

. Victims of the incident were killed following a blast shot from heavy artillery. These civilians were unarmed and some of them survived the shelling; they were taken to medical facilities by Chernihiv police. James Whitney Hill, a 67-year-old US citizen from Minnesota was killed in the attack. Chernihiv Patrol Police and the US State Department confirmed the death of a US citizen. James, known on social media as "Jimmy Hill", was an English-language teacher and refused to leave Ukraine when the war started to provide care for his partner Iryna, a Ukrainian citizen.

Reactions

Around four hours after the incident, the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office filed a legal case regarding the attack. The Chernihiv Oblast branch of the

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...

also started an investigation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernihiv breadline attack March 2022 events in Ukraine Mass murder in 2022 Russian war crimes in Ukraine Chernihiv Airstrikes conducted by Russia Airstrikes during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine War crimes during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Kyiv offensive (2022) History of Chernihiv 21st-century mass murder in Ukraine

Background

Attack

Reactions

See also

References