A Russian missile struck a theater in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday morning, resulting in the tragic loss of seven lives, including a six-year-old girl, as confirmed by officials.

Among the 144 individuals injured, fifteen were children, according to the police. Approximately 25 people are being treated in hospitals.

Some of the victims were individuals who had been commemorating an Orthodox Christian holiday at a church.

Additionally, the attack caused damage to a main square and a university building.

The United Nations condemned the act as "heinous," while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged a strong response from Ukrainian soldiers in the face of this "terrorist attack."

Chernihiv is located about 50km (31 miles) south of Ukraine's border with Belarus. It faced a siege by Russian troops during the initial months of President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The city's prominent theater bore the brunt of the missile strike. Nearby buildings had their rooftops damaged, with one catching fire 100 meters away.

At the time, the theater was hosting an event for drone manufacturers, according to the acting mayor of Chernihiv.

"It appears that the intended target was a military event being held in the drama theater building," Oleksandr Lomako told the BBC.

"However, it is evident that the Russians who launched those missiles and those who ordered them realized that the victims would primarily be civilians in the middle of the day in a civilian city."

"There's no other interpretation than it being a war crime against civilians, yet another Russian war crime," he added.

Later, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that all those inside the theater had managed to seek shelter in time. He noted that "most of the victims were either in their vehicles or crossing the road when the rocket struck, as well as returning from a church."

The city center of Chernihiv is a popular area for leisurely walks, particularly on weekends, as shared by locals with the BBC.

Anna Zahreba, the manager of a Crimean Tatar restaurant located just across the street from the theater, recounted that her staff was preparing for a busy day when the missile struck.

"I ran outside to see what was going on," she said. "There were two 12-year-old girls here and a lot of blood. One had her leg badly wounded. Another girl was screaming.

"We applied a tourniquet and waited for an ambulance. It was taking a long time to get here, but some man stopped his car and we took a girl to a hospital."

Anna says staff rushed to help injured people with medical kits and blankets.

"There are always many people walking around here, with children and baby strollers. Many restaurants and cafes in the area," she tells us.

"We did not expect a day like this."

In his video address late on Saturday, President Zelensky said the child killed in the Russian strike was a girl named Sofia.

Earlier, he said that Russia had turned an "ordinary Saturday" into "a day of pain and loss".

The UN said it was "extremely disturbed" by the attack.

"It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians," Denise Brown, the current head of the UN in Ukraine, said in a statement.

"Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law," she said. "It must stop."

Three days of mourning have been announced in the city.

Moscow is yet to comment.

Elsewhere, Russia has claimed that a Ukrainian drone hit a military airfield in the northwest Novgorod region, causing a fire that was quickly put out.

One plane was damaged but no casualties have been reported, it added.

Ukraine has not commented on the alleged drone attack.

Meanwhile, Kyiv's air force said the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow in an overnight strike.

Too bad

Sad