Evidence indicate Russia is responsible for Hroza village attack — UN Monitoring Mission

Reuters reported the information.

On Tuesday, 31 October, the UN Human Rights Office said it had gathered evidence to conclude that the missile strike that killed 59 people in a cafe in the village of Hroza was carried out by the Russian armed forces.

"Today, we are publishing a report into the events of 5 October that concludes there are reasonable grounds to believe that the missile was launched by Russian armed forces," Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.

She added that “there was no indication of military personnel or any other legitimate military targets at or adjacent to the café at the time of the attack."

Tragedy in Hroza

On October 5, a tragic event unfolded in Hroza, Kharkiv region, when Russia shelled the village. This act resulted in the loss of at least 50 lives and left six others injured. The incident took place at a café where a memorial dinner was in progress, and it was confirmed that the missile used was an Iskander-M. 

Following this devastating event, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights dispatched a field team to investigate the Russian attack on Hroza in the Kharkiv region.

By October 7, local law enforcement had identified 48 of the deceased. DNA samples were collected from at least 16 relatives, while an additional 79 samples were processed from unidentified remains and body fragments using the ANDE DNA complex.

Later, on 9 October, 49 identified bodies of residents of the village of Hroza were reported.

On 10 October, police said the death toll had risen to 53. In total, the police received 22 reports of missing persons in the village of Рroza, of which 4 reports were not confirmed - the people were found, 13 people were identified among the recovered bodies. Five people remained missing. Since 5 October, investigators and forensic experts have been working around the clock to identify the victims. During this time, 288 DNA tests were conducted.

On October 11, the SBU identified the suspected individuals responsible for the Russian attack on Hroza. These individuals were local former intelligence agents and brothers who had fled to the occupiers.

On October 12, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that police experts have identified the bodies of 59 local residents who died as a result of a Russian attack on October 5, 2023, on the village of Hroza, Kharkiv region.