Ongoing case · 2022
Ongoing case: this file carries charge-sheet facts only. Anyone charged is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The short answer
On 16 March 2022, a Russian attack killed at least 18 civilians and injured 26 others who were waiting in a bread line in Chernihiv, Ukraine, during the early weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Suggest coverage for 16 March 2022 Chernihiv Breadline AttackOn 16 March 2022, an attack attributed to Russian forces killed at least 18 civilians and injured 26 others who were standing in a line waiting to buy bread in Chernihiv, Ukraine. The attack occurred at approximately 10:00 (UTC+3) amid the wider Russian invasion of Ukraine, which had begun on 24 February 2022.
Chernihiv had already suffered significant civilian casualties in the weeks preceding the attack. On 3 March 2022, a bombing in the city killed 47 people. The following day, Russian major general Andrei Sukhovetsky, then deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army, was killed, marking the first death of a Russian general during the invasion. On 10 March, the city came under siege, which continued until 31 March when Ukrainian forces broke the encirclement. Governor of Chernihiv Oblast Vyacheslav Chaus reported that Russian attacks on the city on 16 March alone killed a total of 53 people, with the breadline attack forming part of that toll.
The breadline attack was reported by Governor Chaus and by the United States Embassy in Kyiv. Chaus, speaking on Ukrainian television, described the incident as a bombing and stated it was "not the first such incoming shell, nor is it the first shelling of civilians by the enemy." The US Embassy characterized the victims as having been "shot and killed." Local authorities reported 18 people dead. Victims were reported to have been struck by a blast from heavy artillery. The people in the line were unarmed; some survivors were taken to medical facilities by Chernihiv police.
Among those killed was James Whitney Hill, a 67-year-old US citizen from Minnesota. Hill, known on social media as "Jimmy Hill," was an English-language teacher who had chosen not to leave Ukraine when the war began in order to care for his partner Iryna, a Ukrainian citizen. His death was confirmed by Chernihiv Patrol Police and the US State Department.
Approximately four hours after the attack, the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office filed a legal case regarding the incident, and the Chernihiv Oblast branch of the Security Service of Ukraine opened an investigation.
Russian invasion of Ukraine begins; Chernihiv comes under attack.
A bombing in Chernihiv kills 47 people.
Russian major general Andrei Sukhovetsky is killed near Chernihiv, the first Russian general to die in the invasion.
Siege of Chernihiv begins.
Attack on a bread line in Chernihiv kills at least 18 civilians and injures 26 others; Governor Vyacheslav Chaus reports 53 total deaths from attacks on Chernihiv that day.
Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office files a legal case regarding the attack roughly four hours after it occurred; the Security Service of Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast branch opens an investigation.
Ukrainian forces break the encirclement of Chernihiv, ending the siege.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
67-year-old US citizen from Minnesota, an English-language teacher who remained in Ukraine to care for his partner; killed in the attack.[3]
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Intersection of Viacheslava Chornovila and Kruhova streets, Chernihiv, Ukraine · 2020s
On 3 March 2022, Russian forces carried out airstrikes on a residential area of Chernihiv, Ukraine, killing 47 people during the siege of the city amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch described the attack as a potential war crime.
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Credit: Unknown authorPublic domainSourceSOLVEDListenBabi Yar ravine, Kyiv, Ukraine (representative site within broader Ukraine-wide events) · 1940s
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