Graphic videos showing the dead bodies following the Kharkiv shelling have emerged on social media. The unverified footage claims that the dead bodies were of the civilians who had gone out to purchase groceries.
On Tuesday, a missile struck the Freedom Square in central Kharkiv as Russia continued with its advance into the city.
Sinegubov Called the Attack a Genocide
The graphic videos show dead bodies lying in the streets following heavy shelling in the area. The shelling on Monday left 11 civilians dead, according to Regional Governor Oleg Sinegubov.
"A close friend from Kharkiv sent me this. 'They started shelling Kharkiv with grad. This is a military crime by any measure. You have a tribune, spread this," a tweet carrying the video read.
Another video shows a badly burnt car with bodies still inside. "GRAPHIC WARNING HARD TO WATCH VIDEOA family died in a car during the hail attack on a residential area in Kharkiv. The authenticity of the videos could not be confirmed.
"Really graphic images coming from near centre of Kharkiv right now — hit, it would seem, by a Russian rocket strike. Corpses. Women without legs. I'm not going to post it. But my god. All this during peace negotiations," read another post.
Missile Attack On Regional Administration Building
Speaking to AFP, Sinegubov, who heads the Kharkiv military state administration, had called the attack a genocide. "Dozens of dead civilians are lying in the middle of the streets, there are very seriously injured. Affected cars along with passengers burned to the ground. What is happening in Kharkiv now is a war crime! It is a genocide of the Ukrainian people," Sinegubov said adding that due to the ongoing bombardments emergency services cannot be called.
The video of a missile hitting the regional administration building, which serves as the headquarters of the Kharkiv Oblast government, has also surfaced on social media.
In a video posted on Telegram, Sinegubov accused Russian occupiers of using heavy weaponry against the civilian population. "Barbaric Russian missile strikes on the central Freedom Square and residential districts of Kharkiv. Putin is unable to break Ukraine down. He commits more war crimes out of fury, murders innocent civilians. The world can and must do more. INCREASE PRESSURE, ISOLATE RUSSIA FULLY!" Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet, sharing the video of the attack.
