Russia, at least 12 dead in shelling of Ukrainian residential area... Zelensky says "Massacre must be judged"

"Russia Aims to Kill as Many Ukrainians as Possible"

In front of an apartment building in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, a woman is screaming in despair this past February.
Photo by AP News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Russia attacked Severodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, resulting in at least 12 deaths and over 40 injuries.

According to DPA news agency on the 20th (local time), Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk, stated, "Russia targeted residential areas in Severodonetsk." Severodonetsk has recently been under attack from multiple directions by Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk.

CNN reported that "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as a 'barbaric and completely indiscriminate bombing' in his speech the previous night."

President Zelensky also revealed that many civilians were killed in a Russian missile strike on the village of Desna in Chernihiv, north of Kyiv. Chernihiv is located about 40 miles (approximately 64 km) from Belarus, an ally of Russia.

He said, "This is not simply a battle occurring during war. It is a deliberate war crime by Russia aimed at killing as many Ukrainians as possible and destroying as many homes, facilities, and businesses as possible." He added, "This is a genocide against Ukrainians and must be judged accordingly."

Regarding Russia's attacks on Donbas, Ukraine's industrial region, he stated, "There is much more pressure being applied to Donbas. Donbas has been completely destroyed," and "It is hell there. This is not an exaggeration."

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of Donetsk, a major area in Donbas, said that five civilians died in Donetsk the previous day and stated, "The enemy is destroying civilian facilities far from the battlefield."