Hroza missile attack

On 5 October 2023, the Russian Armed Forces launched an Iskander ballistic missile at a shop and cafe in the village of Hroza, Kupiansk Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, where residents had gathered for a memorial service for a Ukrainian soldier killed in action. The strike killed 59 people and injured at least 7 others, including a six-year-old boy, as part of the broader Russian invasion of Ukraine. Local prosecutor Dmytro Chubenko said the soldier's widow, son (also a soldier), and daughter-in-law were among those killed.

Hroza had a pre-war population of about 330, according to Ukrainian minister of internal affairs Ihor Klymenko, though Kharkiv governor Oleh Synyehubov cited a 2020 population figure of about 501 and said the strike killed roughly 10% of the village's pre-war population. Synyehubov confirmed all those killed were residents of Hroza. The village had been captured by Russian forces early in the invasion and was liberated by Ukraine during the Kharkiv counteroffensive in September 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack "a completely deliberate act of terrorism" and accused Russia of "genocidal aggression," while UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown described it as a "barbaric consequence of Russia's invasion" and stated that attacks against civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov denied Russian responsibility and said the Russian military does not target civilian facilities. Russia's UN representative, Vasily Nebenzya, claimed a "high-ranking Ukrainian nationalist" was being buried and alleged "neo-Nazi" attendees.

Ukraine's SBU announced on 11 October 2023 that it had identified two men, Vladimir and Dmitry Mamon, who allegedly provided the Russians with the timing of the memorial service. According to messages obtained by the SBU, the two had collaborated with Russian forces during the occupation, fled to Russia after liberation, but maintained contacts in the village. The messages reportedly show the men acknowledged there would be civilians present but still flagged the gathering as a target, hoping the deceased soldier's fellow soldiers would also attend. During victim identification the prosecutor's office at one point put the confirmed toll at 55, with three people still unaccounted for; the death toll was ultimately confirmed at 59.

On 31 October 2023, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published findings from its investigation concluding that all victims — 36 women, 22 men, and one child — were civilians. The UN stated Russia had either failed to verify intelligence about the presence of soldiers or deliberately targeted civilians, and it called on Russia to acknowledge responsibility, investigate, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide reparations to victims. On 12 February 2024, a former Ukrainian police officer was charged in absentia for allegedly helping Russia carry out the strike.