At least 11 people lost their lives — among them four children — when a holiday camp in a Russian-occupied section of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region was struck overnight, according to Russian-installed local authorities speaking on Saturday. Those officials accused Ukraine of intentionally targeting civilians in the attack.
Ukraine had not yet issued a response to requests for comment on the incident.
Both sides in the conflict — which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 — have consistently denied deliberately striking civilian targets.
The attack hit a resort area known as Kyrylivka, located along the Azov Sea coastline near the city of Melitopol. Russian-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky reported that an additional 16 people sustained injuries in the strike. He shared his reaction through the Telegram messaging platform, stating: “The enemy saw and understood who it was targeting.”
In response to the attack, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced it had opened a terrorism investigation, according to the state news outlet RIA.
