The reconstruction made by the New York Times on the basis of testimonies, telephone records and numerous videos shows that dozens of people were killed by paratroopers in Jabloenska street, on the outskirts of Kiev. Residents now call that road “the road of death,” according to reporters from the American newspaper.
The paratroopers belonged to the 234th Air Assault Regiment. Their commander was Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Gorodilov. Evidence gathered by the newspaper shows that the executions were part of a “deliberate and systematic effort” to secure a route to the capital Kiev at all costs. “Soldiers interrogated and executed unarmed men, killing people who unknowingly crossed their path, whether they were children fleeing with their families, residents hoping to find groceries or people trying to cycle home,” writes the New York Times.
Soldiers systematically took residents’ phones. They then used it to call relatives in Russia, the newspaper found based on phone data. In this way, the newspaper was also able to trace the identity of more than twenty Russian soldiers.
Purposely
All in all, Boetsja has been busy for more than a month. More than four hundred people were killed. “These people did not die in the crossfire between Russian and Ukrainian troops, nor were they accidentally shot. They were killed intentionally,” the newspaper points out.
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The New York Times has identified more than 30 people who lost their lives on Jabloenska Street alone and created an online tribute to them.