Russia-Ukraine war: Several dead as civilian convoy of over 15 cars gets hit in Kharkhiv

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Kharkiv region police claimed that a convoy of civilian vehicles, attempting to flee combat, was fired upon, killing several people. According to Serhiy Bolvinov, the investigation department's chief, as many as 15 vehicles were travelling near the village of Staryi Saltiv, which has seen severe fighting in recent days as Ukrainian forces wage a counter-offensive against Russian forces in the eastern parts of Kharkiv. He further stated that the convoy was attempting to reach a Ukrainian-controlled area when the incident happened. 

"Due to the ongoing combat, it was not possible to reach the place of the column," Bolvinov said, adding that police had lost contact with the convoy a few days ago, CNN reported. He further stated that the convoy's wreckage was discovered on Friday, May 6. When investigators arrived on the scene, they found a broken enemy tank as well as the bodies of two Russian personnel, he claimed. The chief of Ukraine's investigation department further stated that six bullet-riddled automobiles were discovered at some distance including four bodies of civilians. 

17 people killed in road accident in western Ukraine

Earlier on May 3, at least 17 people were killed when a bus collided with a fuel truck in western Ukraine. In his address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had stated that the deadly accident occurred in the western Rivne area. "A bus, a car and a fuel truck collided. As of now, there 17 are already dead, but there may be more victims," he said during his address.

The Ukrainian President also expressed his sympathies to the families who died in the accident. Meanwhile, the Russian shelling of a school in Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, which was sheltering 60 people, has been widely condemned by Ukraine's foreign ministry.

Russia spendinf nearly US $900 million per day to keep fight on in Ukraine

It is significant to mention here that Russia is spending an estimated US $900 million (over Rs 6,900 crores) a day on the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Kremlin is bound to pay all the soldiers fighting in Ukraine, provide them with rockets and repair lost or damaged military equipment, Newsweek reported citing a military magazine SOFREP. The magazine further stated that Russia must also compensate for the thousands of critical weapons and cruise missiles fired during the conflict, each costing around $1.5 million.

(Image: AP)