Ukraine accuses Russian troops of shooting at 7 evacuees, including child, near Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops shot at a group of women and children evacuees leaving a village near Kyiv, killing seven, one of them a child, Ukraine’s military intelligence service says today.

“During an attempt to evacuate from the village of Peremoga… along an agreed ‘green’ corridor, the occupiers opened fire on a column of civilians, consisting exclusively of women and children. The result of this brutal act was seven dead. One of them is a child,” Defense Intelligence of Ukraine says on Facebook.

It adds that the incident happened yesterday.

Peremoga, which means victory in Ukrainian, is a small village around 36 kilometers (22 miles) from Kyiv’s northeastern suburbs, where Russian tanks are advancing towards the capital.

The military intelligence service says that Russian troops forced the group of evacuees to return to their village after the attack, with the number of injured unknown.

“At present, it is almost impossible to establish contact with them, as well as provide humanitarian and medical assistance,” the statement says.

It doesn’t give details of those killed or the time of the attack.

It accuses Russia of committing a war crime by deliberately targeting innocent civilians.