Kramatorsk station: 'For the children', on the children
Kramatorsk railway station, Donetsk region · 8 April 2022
At 10:28 on 8 April 2022 a Tochka-U ballistic missile opened its cluster warhead over the forecourt of Kramatorsk station, where hundreds of people were waiting for evacuation trains. At least 58–63 civilians died, among them seven to nine children; more than 100 were injured. The rocket motor carried the words 'ЗА ДЕТЕЙ' — 'for the children'. Within hours Russia had announced strikes on other stations, denied this one and blamed a Ukrainian brigade.
Indiscriminate attack, no feasible precautions, hundreds of civilians present — established (Commission of Inquiry) Cluster munitions on evacuation points and gatherings — pattern War crime, violation of the laws and customs of war — position (Art. 438 CCU; HRW: apparent war crime)
Russia said. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation · official statement · Moscow, 8 Apr 2022, 13:41: “All the claims by representatives of the Kiev nationalist regime that Russia allegedly carried out a 'missile attack' on April 8 against the railway terminal in Kramatorsk are a provocation and completely have nothing to do with reality. The Russian Armed Forces had no fire tasks and planned none in the town of Kramatorsk on April 8.” — Contradicted by the MoD's own briefing three hours earlier. At about 10:10 the same ministry announced strikes with 'high-precision air-based missiles' on railway stations at Pokrovsk, Sloviansk and Barvinkove, on the same network. The Commission of Inquiry lists the Kramatorsk attack among those launched or likely launched by Russian armed forces.
Evidence held: Commission of Inquiry, A/HRC/52/62 (15 Mar 2023), paras. 31–32; UN Crisis Coordinator, 8 Apr 2022; SBU, 21 May 2022; Prosecutor General's Office, 8 Apr 2022.
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