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Ukraine says seven killed, including a child, after Russia fired at evacuation convoy
The service - part of the defence ministry - initially said the convoy left the village in a "green corridor" which had previously been agreed with Russia.
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Ukrainian soldiers are on guard in Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 12, 2022. Russian forces stepped up the pressure on Kyiv on March 12, 2022. The northwest suburbs of the capital, including Irpin and Bucha, have already endured days of heavy bombardment while Russian armoured vehicles are advancing on the northeastern edge. (AFP/Sergei Supinsky)
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kraine's intelligence service accused Russia on Saturday of firing at a convoy that was evacuating women and children from the village of Peremoha in the Kyiv region, killing seven people including one child.
The service - part of the defence ministry - initially said the convoy left the village in a "green corridor" which had previously been agreed with Russia.
But in a statement released late on Saturday, the service said this was not in fact the case and the convoy had left the village independently.
"This is very dangerous, because the occupying forces are ruthlessly destroying the civilian population," it said. "We urge all citizens who are in danger to follow the official information on evacuation routes and use only safe routes."
The service initially said that after the purported attack, which occurred on Friday, the Russian troops forced the remainder of the column back into the village.
Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and Russia offered no immediate comment.
Ukraine has accused Russia of preventing evacuations from conflict zones by not respecting agreed cease-fires and firing at civilian targets.
Russia has denied targeting civilians since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, and has blamed Ukraine for repeated stumbles in efforts to evacuate people from the worst-hit areas, including the southern port city of Mariupol.
The Russian bombardment, which Moscow calls a special operation, has trapped thousands of people in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighbouring countries. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier on Saturday that the conflict meant some small Ukrainian towns no longer existed.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that Russia might use chemical weapons following its invasion of Ukraine and that such a move would be a war crime, according to an interview in German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
"In recent days, we have heard absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons laboratories," Stoltenberg was quoted by Welt am Sonntag as saying, adding that the Kremlin was inventing false pretexts to justify what could not be justified.
"Now that these false claims have been made, we must remain vigilant because it is possible that Russia itself could plan chemical weapons operations under this fabrication of lies. That would be a war crime," Stoltenberg was quoted as saying.
He added that although the Ukrainian people were resisting the Russian invasion with courage, the coming days are likely to bring even greater hardship.
