KYIV: Seven people, including a newborn baby, her 12-year-old brother and their parents, were killed on Sunday by Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, officials said.

Also among the victims was a Christian pastor, officials said, adding that another 13 people received injuries.

The three adults and two children were killed in the village of Shyroka Balka, in the region of Kherson, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on messaging app Telegram, releasing pictures showing the aftermath of the shelling attack.

One photo showed a column of black smoke rising above a house.

“A husband, wife and their 23-day-old daughter were killed by enemy artillery fire,” Klymenko wrote.

The couple’s 12-year-old son was hospitalised in critical condition and later died, Klymenko said in a separate statement.

In the village of Stanislav, two men aged 57 and 71 were killed, officials said. One of the victims was identified as a Christian pastor. Another 13 people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, Klymenko said.

“Terrorists must be stopped. They must be stopped by force,” he said. France condemned the strikes on Kherson as “unacceptable acts that constitute war crimes that cannot remain unpunished”.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2023