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3 March 2022 Chernihiv bombing

Coordinates: 51°30′00″N 31°16′45″E / 51.5001°N 31.2791°E / 51.5001; 31.2791
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3 March 2022 Chernihiv bombing
Part of the Siege of Chernihiv
Unexploded Russian bomb being removed from a building in Chernihiv
LocationChernihiv, Ukraine
Date3 March 2022
12:15 PM
Attack type
Airstrike
Deaths47[1]
Injured18[2]
Perpetrators Russian Armed Forces
Houses on Chornovil Street after the bombing
School №18, bombed the same day

On 3 March 2022, 47 people were killed in a series of airstrikes in Chernihiv by Russian forces[3] during the siege of the city, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch described the strikes as a war crime.[1][4]

Attack

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On 3 March 2022, just after 12:00 (UTC+2), six unguided aerial bombs were filmed falling in a residential area in Chernihiv,[5] in a triangular public square formed by Viacheslava Chornovila and Kruhova streets (51°30′00″N 31°16′45″E / 51.5001°N 31.2791°E / 51.5001; 31.2791). Analysis by Amnesty International found that (at least) eight bombs fell.[1] A witness living in Ivana Bohuna Street, Alina, heard a loud buzzing sound before the bombs exploded.[1]

The film of the attack was recorded on a dashboard camera (dashcam). The film shows the six bombs falling and an explosion. Other online media was published showing bodies of the victims, survivors being carried away on stretchers, firemen trying to put out fires in the main apartment complex that had been hit, and cars and trees on fire. Regional Governor Viacheslav Chaus told reporters that two schools were hit.[5]

Ukrainian-born United States Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (IN-R) told reporters that her grandmother lived in a building nearby and the windows had all been destroyed.[6]

The same day, two schools (№18 and №21) and 8 private houses were destroyed, and 7 more houses heavily damaged, in another place in Chernihiv, in the vicinity of Biloruskyi Lane.[7]

Victims

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Yulia Matvienko, also an Ivana Bohuna Street resident, survived the bombing with a head injury. Her three children were uninjured, but had to crawl out from under the rubble after the explosion.[1] Local emergency services recorded 38 men and 9 women killed by the bombing and 18 people injured.[5]

Investigations

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As Amnesty International was unable to identify a legitimate military target nearby, it said the attack could be a war crime of the 2022 invasion.[1]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) found no evidence of a "significant [military] target in or near the intersection when it was hit, ... pointing to a potentially deliberate or reckless indiscriminate attack." HRW called for the International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry to decide if a war crime had occurred and to hold to account the people responsible. The HRW investigation included telephone interviews with three witnesses and two other Chernihiv residents, and analysis of 22 videos and 12 photographs. The witnesses interviewed by HRW stated that they were unaware of military targets or operations in the neighbourhood.[4]

A bomb crater consistent with a 500 kg bomb was found. FAB-500 bombs were known to be used in the 2022 Russian invasion.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Ukraine: Russian 'dumb bomb' air strike killed civilians in Chernihiv – new investigation and testimony". Amnesty International. 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Footage shows aftermath of Russian shelling of Ukrainian city of Chernihiv say". Times of Israel. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Death toll from Russian air strikes on Chernihiv city rises to 47, local authorities say". Reuters. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Ukraine: Russian Air-Dropped Bombs Hit Residential Area". Human Rights Watch. 2022-03-10. Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  5. ^ a b c Sabin, Lamiat (2022-03-08). "Dashcam captures moment Russian airstrike hits block of flats killing 47 in Chernihiv raids". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  6. ^ Brown, Lee (2022-03-03). "Dashcam shows flurry of rockets in Chernihiv, Ukraine, that killed at least 33". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  7. ^ "Ukraine: Russian Strikes Killed Scores of Civilians in Chernihiv". Human Rights Watch. 2022-06-10. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
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