Russian airstrike kills 18 including 2 children in Ukraine

Harrowing images show blood-covered children injured in a Russian airstrike that killed 18 people, including two children, at an apartment building on Tuesday, the Ukrainian government said.

The harrowing images were shared as Ukraine also accused invading forces of violating the ceasefire and attacking an evacuation route – as more than 2 million people have already fled the war-torn nation through Tuesday.

One picture showed a young child whose pale, dust-covered face was covered in blood and whose head was covered in bandages. Other images appeared to show some of the 18 dead in the attack in Sumy, the first major city to be evacuated on Tuesday.

“Last night, Russian pilots committed another crime against humanity in Sumy,” the Ukrainian government said.

“They dropped 500-kilogram bombs on residential buildings.

“Rescuers are still removing the rubble, but 18 civilian deaths have already been confirmed, including two children,” the government wrote, sharing emojis of a candle and a prayer symbol.

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The government informed by telegram that another town in the region, Okhtyrka, was also attacked.

“The enemy is intensifying bombing of urban areas, destroying and damaging residential buildings,” the government said, saying enemy troops are targeting civilians “to bomb cities into submission.”

the recent bloodshed in Sumy came as Ukrainians boarded buses to flee the besieged eastern city on Tuesday, the first evacuation from a Ukrainian city through a humanitarian corridor agreed with Russia after several failed attempts to get residents to safety in recent days.

Residents also fled the town of Irpin, a suburb on the Kyiv front lines where women and children were killed in a brutal bombardment on Sunday.

In one of the most devastated cities, Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people – almost half of the 430,000 population – were hoping to flee.

However, the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Russian forces of still attacking one of the agreed safe havens.

“Truce violated! Russian forces are now shelling the humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhia to Mariupol,” the department said.

The attacks came when “8 trucks + 30 buses” “were ready to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol and evacuate civilians to Zaporizhia.

“Pressure on Russia MUST be increased to meet its commitments,” the ministry tweeted.

The evacuations came amid an unprecedented refugee crisis, with the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II, according to the United Nations.

“Today, the flow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million,” Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, wrote on Twitter.

The Russian attack – now well into its second week – has trapped people in cities running low on food, water and medicines.

While Russian troops have made significant advances in some areas, Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers have so far fortified the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of checkpoints and barricades to prevent a takeover.

A steady rain of shells and rockets fell on other population centers, including the Kiev suburb of Bucha, where the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.

“We can’t even collect the bodies because the heavy weapon fire doesn’t stop day and night,” Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said. “Dogs are tearing up the corpses on the city streets. It’s a nightmare.”

Russian forces also continued their offensive in Mykolayiv, opening fire on the Black Sea shipbuilding center housing half a million people, according to the Ukrainian military. Rescuers said they were putting out fires caused by rocket attacks in residential areas.

Ukrainian Defense Forces were also involved in operations in the northern city of Chernihiv, the General Staff said.

However, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly insisted that despite their clear advantage, Russian troops are demoralized by their lack of success.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News: “For one Ukrainian soldier we have 10 Russian soldiers and for one Ukrainian tank we have 50 Russian tanks.”

Still, he vowed that even if Russian troops “come into all our cities,” they will face an uprising.

With mail wires