Ukraine: Dozens killed in shelling

Associated Press

KIEV, Ukraine

Ukraine accused pro-Russia separatists of killing dozens of civilians in an attack early Monday on a convoy fleeing a besieged rebel-held city. The rebels denied any attack took place, while the U.S. confirmed the shelling of the convoy but said it did not know who was responsible.

The refugees were attacked with Grad rockets and other weapons imported from Russia as their convoy traveled on the main road leading from Russia to the rebel-held city of Luhansk, Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security Council, told reporters.

“Many people were killed, among them women and children,” Lysenko said of the attack, which occurred between the towns of Khryashchuvate and Novosvitlivka.

Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, a spokesman for the Ukrainian government’s military operation in the east, later told The Associated Press that 15 bodies had been recovered from the smoldering vehicles and servicemen were collecting the body parts of at least 10 more people.

Donetsk rebel chief Alexander Zakharchenko said that no attack had taken place.