Russians shell civilian convoy, 20 dead: Ukraine

A senior Ukrainian official said Russian forces on Saturday shelled a civilian evacuation convoy in the country's northeast, killing 20 people. Bombardments have intensified as Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory in a sharp escalation of the war.

KYIV: Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the convoy was struck in the Kupiansy district, calling the attack on people who were trying to flee the area to avoid being shelled "cruelty that cant be justified."

Russian forces have not acknowledged or commented on the attack, apparently the second in two days to hit a humanitarian convoy. Russian troops have retreated from much of the Kharkiv region after a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive last month but continued to shell the area.