2023 Kramatorsk restaurant missile strike explained

Partof:the eastern Ukraine campaign
June 2023 Kramatorsk missile strike
Location:Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Date:27 June 2023
Time:7:30 pm
Map:Kramatorsk Crossroads in the village of Bilenke (city)" frameless align="center">[{"type":"FeatureCollection", "features":[ {"type":"Feature", "geometry":{"type":"Point", "coordinates":[37.5868, 48.7356]}, "properties":}, ]}]
Fatalities:13 (including 4 children)[1] [2]
Injuries:65 (including an 8-month-old baby)[3] [4] [5]
Weapon:Iskander ballistic missile[6]

On the evening of 27 June 2023, at around 7:30 p.m., Russia launched two Iskander[2] ballistic missile strikes against civilian buildings in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The main target was a pizza restaurant which housed up to 80 customers and staff at that time. Thirteen people were killed, including Ukrainian novelist Victoria Amelina, a 17-year-old girl, a pair of 14-year old twin sisters and Ian Tortorici, a US Marine Corps veteran,[7] while 61 were injured in the explosions. Another missile hit a village on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, injuring five more people.[8] [9] [10]

The restaurant was popular among locals, soldiers, foreign correspondents and aid workers. Among the injured were Colombian novelist and journalist Héctor Abad Faciolince and his friend Sergio Jaramillo Caro.[11] [12] Kramatorsk was 24 kilometers from the battle front at the time.[9]

Responses

The attack occurred shortly after the conclusion of the Wagner Group rebellion in Russia, which threatened the authority of President Vladimir Putin.[9] High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as "Russian terror against Ukrainian civilians". The Ukrainian army later arrested a man suspected of having spied on the vehicles parked outside the restaurant and forwarding the video to the Russian military intelligence.[9]

US President Joe Biden condemned the attack and said that Putin became a "pariah around the world".[12] Denise Brown, UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, issued a statement describing the attack as "another example of [the] inexcusable level of suffering Russia’s invasion is inflicting on the people of Ukraine. International humanitarian law protects civilians and civilian infrastructure, and everything must be done to minimize or avoid civilian harm, including by verifying targets".[13]

PEN Ukraine and Truth Hounds referred to the strike as a war crime, with the latter being the organization Ukrainian writer and victim of the strike Victoria Amelina was a war crimes documentarian for. PEN Ukraine stated that "They clearly knew that they were shelling a place with many civilians inside".[14] Sky News international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn stated that, since a high-precision missile was used to carry out the strike, "they probably knew exactly what they were firing at", and that "this is an alleged war crime". France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna condemned the strike and called it a war crime,[15] and so did Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs.[16]

Victims

Pizzeria employees:

  1. Andriichuk Kateryna Andriivna, born (18 years old; cook)
  2. Bashkeeva Zoryana Valeriivna, born (24 years old; waitress)
  3. Yevgenia Oleksandrivna Golovchenko, born (; dryer)
  4. Mykyta Valentynovich Dolgopol, born (; senior cook)
  5. Zakharov Roman Ruslanovich (20 years old, waiter)
  6. Valeriya Ruslanivna Simonnik, born (; dryer)
  7. Titoruk Artur Volodymyrovych, born (28 years old; administrator)

Pizzeria visitors:

  1. Twin sisters Yulia and Anna Aksenchenko, born (; schoolchildren)
  2. Amelina Viktoriya Yuriivna, born (; writer) [17]
  3. Orlovsky Artur (30 years old, entrepreneur)
  4. Artem Olegovich Suhoviy (22 years old, combat medic 1 ShB 3 OShBr)[18]
  5. Ian Tortorici, call sign "Frank" (23 years old, volunteer International Legion, former US Marine)[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Kramatorsk: Ukraine accuses man of treason over deadly Russian missile attack . Reuters . 29 June 2023 . 29 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230629055149/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/death-toll-rises-12-ukraines-kramatorsk-after-russian-strike-2023-06-29/ . live .
  2. News: Ukraine says suspect directed Russia missile attack in Kramatorsk . Al Jazeera . 29 June 2023 . 29 June 2023 . 29 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230629012550/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/29/ukraine-says-suspect-directed-russia-missile-attack-on-restaurant . live .
  3. Web site: У Краматорську завершили рятувальну операцію: 12 загиблих. Rescue operation completed in Kramatorsk: 12 dead. Deutsche Welle. uk. 2023-06-29. 2023-06-29.
  4. Web site: Афганець, друг в «ДНР» та фатальне відео: Деталі про підозрюваного у коригуванні вогню по Краматорську. Українська правда. An Afghan, a friend in the "DNR" and the fatal video: Details about the suspect in adjusting the fire in Kramatorsk. 2023-07-03. 2023-07-03. uk.
  5. Web site: ОГП уточнив дані по Краматорську: серед загиблих — 17-річна дівчина, серед поранених — 8-місячне немовля. Radio Svoboda. uk. 2023-06-27. 30 June 2023.
  6. Web site: Історія обстрілу піцерії в Краматорську. Як російська пропаганда перекладає свої злочини на ЗСУ. Ukrainian Pravda. en. 2023-11-08. 2023-11-08.
  7. Web site: Jeff Schogol. Marine veteran killed by Russian missile strike on restaurant in Ukraine. Task & Purpose. 3 July 2023. 8 July 2023. 5 July 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230705155553/https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-veteran-killed-kramatorsk-ukraine/. live.
  8. News: Sunita Patel-Carstairs . Ukraine war: Russian missile 'designed to bring down a plane' hits crowded pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk . Sky News . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . 28 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230628064116/https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-deadly-russian-missile-strike-hits-crowded-restaurant-in-kramatorsk-12910824 . live .
  9. News: Ivana Kottasová . Kramatorsk restaurant strike shows that in Ukraine, death can come any time, anywhere . CNN . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . 28 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230628122217/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/28/europe/kramatorsk-deadly-strike-ukraine-war-intl/index.html . live .
  10. News: Mayeni Jones, James Gregory . Kramatorsk: Russian missile strike hits restaurants in Ukrainian city . . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627181042/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66031342 . live .
  11. News: Cassandra Vinograd, Thomas Gibbons-Neff . A Russian missile hits a crowded restaurant in Kramatorsk, killing at least 4 . . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627070249/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/06/27/world/russia-ukraine-news#missile-kramatorsk-ukraine-restaurant . live .
  12. News: Luke Harding . Four children among 11 killed in missile strike on Ukraine pizza restaurant . The Guardian . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . 27 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627192312/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/27/deadly-russian-missile-strike-on-busy-pizza-restaurant-in-kramatorsk . live .
  13. Web site: Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, on the attack on Kramatorsk . . 27 June 2023 . 28 June 2023 . 13 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230713215134/https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-ukraine-denise-brown-attack-kramatorsk-enruuk . live .
  14. News: Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina dies following Kramatorsk bombing. EFE. 3 July 2023.
  15. News: France calls Russia's missile attack on Kramatorsk as war crime. Ukrinform. 30 June 2023.
  16. SweMFA. 1674068074884939782. Attacking train stations, malls & restaurants is part of Russia's warfare against Ukraine. Russia's attack in Kramatorsk is a brutal reminder of its disregard for civilian lives. Attacks directed against civilians constitute a war crime. War criminals will be brought to justice.. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Sweden). 28 June 2023. 15 November 2023.
  17. Web site: Writer Viktoria Amelina has died. Suspilne. uk. 2023-07-03. July 3, 2023.
  18. Web site: "He loved life": a 22-year-old combat medic from Cherkasy died in the war with Russia. Suspilne. uk. 2023-06-29. June 30, 2023 .
  19. Web site: U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Orange County killed in Ukraine. CBS News. en. 2023-07-01. July 2, 2023.