Editor's note: This article contains graphic content.
Russian forces in occupied Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast, entered a home and murdered nine civilians, including three women and two children, aged five and nine, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's office alleged on Oct. 30.
According to the preliminary investigation, Russian soldiers approached the home several days before and demanded that the residents vacate so that they could reside there. The residents refused even though the Russian soldiers threatened them, and the soldiers left.
They returned on Oct. 27, the Prosecutor's Office said, and shot all nine members of the family while they slept.
The investigation is still ongoing, the Prosecutor's Office said. If convicted, those responsible for the murders could face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Volnovakha, located about 65 kilometers from occupied Mariupol and the Black Sea coast, has been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
It saw heavy fighting in March 2022, causing an unknown number of civilian casualties and damaging a majority of the buildings in the city.
Alexandra Keeler
