LONDON

A Russian airstrike that killed dozens of people in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv city “may constitute a war crime,” Amnesty International said on Wednesday. 


The attack took place around midday on March 3. A small public square was hit by a series of bombs. Chernihiv Regional Administration said that 47 civilians, including 38 men and nine women, were killed in the strike.


Amnesty International investigated the attack and said in a statement that it was “most likely” a Russian airstrike in which at least eight unguided aerial bombs, also known as “dumb bombs,” were used.


Amnesty said it was unable to identify a legitimate military target at or near the scene of the attack, and that previous satellite imagery of the targeted area showed people queuing outside the targeted building. For this reason, Amnesty said it believed the majority of victims in the airstrike were queuing for food.


Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director, said: “The air strike that hit the streets of Chernihiv shocks the conscience. This was a merciless, indiscriminate attack on people as they went about their daily business in their homes, streets and shops.”


“This shocking attack is one of the deadliest that the people of Ukraine have endured yet. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court should investigate this air strike as a war crime.


“Those responsible for such crimes must be brought to justice, and victims and their families must receive full reparation.”