On May 8th 2022, two civilians, two men, were reportedly killed following alleged Russian artillery shelling in Kalynove (Kalinove) village, Kharkiv oblast.
Ukrainska Pravda said: “In Kalynove, two people were killed when a projectile hit a house. The shelling of the village took place from the side of Kozachya Lopana at approximately 4:00 p.m. [according to] Kovalenko’s [head of Zolochiv community] direct speech: “Two men, 71 and 51 years old, went to a house to have lunch. And then a projectile flew right into the house. Both died.” Kharkiv Human Rights Protection group reported that “a shell hit the house where two men were staying. The direct hit started a fire that destroyed the entire building and left the men with life-threatening injuries”.
The Victims Memorial platform published the story as well as testimonies of family and friends of the 50 years-old victim, stating that that man died “in the yard of his neighbor and friend”. According to that source, the man was born and lived in Kalynove village. He “worked in a bakery of one of the supermarkets in Kharkiv”. He was described by the mayor of the district as a “kind and hardworking person”, “helping his neighbors as much as he could” during the full-scale war. Below are two testimonies quoted by Victims Memorial from one of his daughers and from one of his friends:
“Dad was not used to sitting idly by – and at home, after work, he always had a lot of trouble: gardens, livestock, household chores. He worked all his life for the benefit of the family. His only recreation was watching movies. Dad was the best for me. (…) Dad always waited for me at home after school. There are no words to explain how painful it is… This is a terrible and irreparable loss in my life…”
“He was a loving father, husband, grandfather, son and best friend! He raised two daughters with great love and care. He helped everyone who turned to him, did not refuse [to help] even in difficult situations. [He] sought to develop and live fully. At the age of 50, he bought his first car. Words cannot convey all the pain and sadness, because a person has just begun to achieve success,”
The General Prosecutor Office on Telegram added that apart from the two victims, Russian shelling also damaged “ten residential buildings” and that “more than ten more were destroyed.”. Another source quoting the head of the Zolochiv community, Viktor Kovalenko, said “the occupiers hit Kalinovy from the side of Kozachai Lopan. The shelling ended around 16:00. As a result, eight houses were destroyed and a fire broke out.”
Politinform reported that “due to this fact, criminal proceedings have been opened under Part 2 of Article 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war, related to intentional murder) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is conducted by the investigative department of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region, the regional prosecutor’s office is in charge of the process.”
ACLED’s reference code for this incident is UKR57453.