Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was attending a European summit in Spain, said he had no doubts that the strike had been deliberate.
“The Russian military could not fail to know where they were hitting,” he said.
“It was not a blind strike.”
Zelensky also said he had secured agreements from several countries to provide Kyiv with more air defense systems and artillery.
Thursday’s attack took place in the Kupiansk district of the war-battered Kharkiv region bordering Russia, where Moscow’s forces have been pushing to recapture territory they lost last year to Ukrainian troops.
‘True evil’
The head of the Kharkiv region Oleg Sinegubov said the strike took place around 1:15 p.m.
The village of Groza is located west of Kupiansk, a frontline town in the region where officials have recently ordered mandatory evacuations following a surge in Russian strikes.
Zelensky’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the attack had “no military logic.”
“This is a reminder to anyone who is willing to smile and shake hands with war criminal Putin at international conferences,” he said, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“A reminder to all those who want to sell something to Russia and return to bloody business as usual,” he said.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the strike showed Ukraine needed more air defense “to protect our country from terror. We are discussing this with partners.”
Large swathes of the Kharkiv region were captured by Russian forces in the early days of their invasion launched in February last year.
Ukrainian forces recaptured much of the border territory during a lightning offensive in September 2022, but the regional capital is still subjected to routine shelling.
Updated with new death toll.
