Nine civilians have been found shot dead in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, according to Russian authorities.
Two of the dead were children, the Russian State Investigation Committee announced. The dead were found with gunshot wounds in a private house.
The suspect is a Russian soldier, an independent Russian Telegram channel reported. The dead included a father, a mother, their two children and guests in the house.
Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, reiterated the report and accused Russian troops of having wiped out an entire Ukrainian family who were celebrating a birthday and refused to turn over their home to the occupiers.
According to Lubinets, the suspected gunman was from the Russian republic of Chechnya.
Volnovakha is in the Donetsk region and has been occupied by Russian troops since March 2022.
