A child in the Kharkiv region was among the first to be killed in Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine early Thursday.
The boy, whose age has not yet been disclosed, was in a residential building in the city of Chuguiv when it came under attack by Russian forces, Ukrainian authorities said. According to the Conflict Intelligence Team, an independent investigative group, a “Smerch” Multiple Launch Rocket System was used to strike the area—which would make it a war crime.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister, echoed that account on Telegram, writing: “The Russians are lying! Smerch rockets struck the suburbs of Kharkiv.”