On February 17, a Russian drone attack targeted a vehicle carrying employees of the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant in Mykolaivka, located in the Kramatorsk district. The incident resulted in the deaths of three individuals.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy confirmed the attack via Telegram, stating that the military used an FPV drone to strike the civilian car. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the attack occurred around 7:30 AM.
“As a result of the strike, three people were killed, and one individual sustained injuries. Emergency responders provided assistance to the injured person and transferred him to medical professionals. Additionally, firefighters extinguished the vehicle fire,” reported the State Emergency Service.
The vehicle, a VAZ 2109, was completely destroyed in the attack. The three deceased were residents of Sloviansk, with two aged 58 and one aged 44. A 30-year-old man who was injured has been hospitalized with severe trauma, including fractures and shrapnel wounds to the head.
“This strike was deliberate and targeted, as the drone operator could see they were attacking civilians. This constitutes a war crime, and those responsible must be held accountable. We will raise this issue at the Energy Security Coordination Group meeting,” stated Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy.
A preliminary investigation into the war crime has been initiated by the Sloviansk District Prosecutor’s Office, as confirmed by the Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office on their Facebook page.
A drone strike by Russian forces in Mykolaivka, Ukraine, resulted in the deaths of three thermal power plant workers and left one person injured. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, which has been condemned as a war crime.