Russian shelling kills 7, including baby, in southern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine — Seven people including a baby girl, her 12-year-old brother and their parents have been killed today by Russian shelling in southern Ukraine, officials say.

The three adults and two children were killed in the village of Shyroka Balka, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko says on messaging app Telegram, releasing pictures showing the aftermath of the shelling attack.

One photo shows a column of black smoke rising above a house.

“A husband, wife and their 23-day-old daughter were killed by enemy artillery fire,” Klymenko writes.

The couple’s 12-year-old son was hospitalized in critical condition and later died, Klymenko says in a separate statement.

In the village of Stanislav two men aged 57 and 71 were killed, officials say, adding that a woman was wounded.

“Terrorists must be stopped. They must be stopped by force,” says Klymenko.

Kherson was one of four regions in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed last year.

Late last year, Russian troops withdrew from the city of Kherson but Moscow has continued to target settlements in the region.