Russian troops appear to open fire on peaceful protesters in Ukraine

World

Russian troops appear to have opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in Kherson, with CCTV footage showing protesters fleeing as military vehicles advance.

The southern port city was seized early on in the nearly month-long war and Moscow claims it controls the Kherson region.

Journalist Max Seddon from the Financial Times tweeted: “Russian troops opened fire on a peaceful crowd in Kherson, where regular protests have gone on since they captured it.

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“Also seem to have used flash-bang grenades. There are reports (and videos) of wounded civilians.”

And the Wall Street Journal’s Yaroslav Trofimov tweeted a video purportedly showing people injured by the shots.

On Sunday, dozens of protesters, some wrapped in Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag, marched along Ushakova Avenue in Kherson and chanted “Go home” in Russian at two military vehicles with Russian markings.

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Residents of Russian-occupied Kherson have been protesting the Russian forces in their city despite smoke grenades and gunfire.

Kherson, a provincial capital of about 250,000 people, was the first key urban centre to fall into the hands of Russian troops after they invaded Ukraine on 24 February.

Read more: A glimpse inside Kherson, the city occupied by Russian forces, through the eyes of a Ukrainian resistance volunteer