Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelensky has vowed to find and punish ”every b*****d” who committed atrocities in the conflict after eight civilians were killed by Russian shelling - two children were among the dead - while fleeing a town near Kyiv.
In a video address on Sunday night, Mr Zelensky said: “They were just trying to get out of town. To escape. The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine.
“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war. On our land.
“We will find every b*****d.”
Heavy shelling took place in the town of Irpin on Sunday, as hundreds of residents attempting to escape the capital Kyiv gathered near a bridge.
Video footage showed a mortar explosion on a street near the crossing. Photographs shared by media outlets showed dead bodies lying on the street, covered with sheets.
At least eight civilians were killed, including a woman, her teenage son and primary school-age daughter and a family friend, according to Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn.
Mr Markushyn said he witnessed four people being killed “in front of my eyes”.
“It is impudence, they are monsters. Irpin is at war, Irpin has not surrendered,” he wrote in a Telegram post.
Vide of footage of the attack showed Ukrainian fighters attempting to help the family as their belongings lay scattered around them.
Mr Zelensky vowed all Russians responsible for the atrocities would never be forgiven, adding: “For you there will be no peaceful place on this earth, except for the grave.”
His adviser Oleksiy Arestovich described a “catastrophic” situation in the Kyiv suburbs of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel, where efforts to evacuate residents on Sunday failed.
The Russian defence ministry said on Monday it would halt the ongoing firing in Ukraine on Monday to open six humanitarian corridors, including in Kyiv. People leaving the capital will be airlifted to Russia and Belarus, the ministry said.
However, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk claimed Russia was trying to manipulate Western leaders by demanding any humanitarian corridors exit through Russia or Belarus.
She called on Russia to allow Ukrainians to evacuate towards the western Ukrainian city of Lviv instead.
It comes after two temporary ceasefire agreements between Russia and Ukraine - to allow evacuation from the southeastern port city of Mariupol - failed over the weekend because of escalating violence and shelling.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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