A Russian attack that killed dozens of people in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday was one of the deadliest single strikes on civilians since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military has repeatedly used missiles to blast civilian targets across the country, with devastating consequences.
One of the deadliest such attacks happened Thursday when President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials in Kyiv reported that a Russian rocket struck a cafe and store in the village of Hroza in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 51 civilians.
Zelensky called the attack “absolute evil” in his nightly video address.
The Kremlin often claims its missiles are aimed at military assets or blames the strikes on Ukraine. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin insists Russia does not target civilians.
A look at some of the deadliest strikes:
A residential building in Izium in eastern Ukraine was hit in an attack that Human Rights Watch later said killed at least 44 people.
Russian forces took control of the city and surrounding area beginning in late March and occupied it for six months. At the time of the strike, HRW said the area was under the control of Ukrainian forces who were trying to keep Russian troops from entering the city.
Russia says Ukraine drone attack foiled, as concerns grow over arms for Kyiv
A Russian air strike hit a theatre in Mariupol, killing hundreds of civilians sheltering in the basement. Ukrainian officials initially put the death toll at 300, but an Associated Press investigation later found evidence that the attack was far deadlier and killed closer to 600 people inside and outside the building.
Russia claimed the theatre was demolished by Ukrainian forces or served as a Ukrainian military base.
