Video: Russian tank blows up car with Ukrainians inside A Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. (Vitaly V. Kuzmin, Wikimedia Commons/Released)
A video surfaced on Tuesday showing a Russian armored vehicle firing its main gun multiple times at a Ukrainian civilian car with two elderly occupants reportedly inside, destroying the car and its occupants.
The video, which has been shared across social media, was reportedly recorded in the town Makariv, near the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. According to the New York Post, multiple reports indicated the attack took place on Feb. 28, just days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian armored vehicle involved appeared to be a type of BMP — an infantry fighting vehicle armed with a cannon — rather than one of the T-72s, T-80s or T-90s Russia uses as main battle tanks.
In the video, the Russian armored vehicle could be seen firing at the civilian car from around a road running perpendicular to the car. As the car came to a stop, the first shot appeared to smash through some nearby trees and impact on the ground next to the car. The armored vehicle then drove forward into the intersection before it fired a second shot, which went through the front of the car and appeared to destroy the vehicle’s engine. The armored vehicle fired at least one more shot, which appeared to detonate inside the cab of the civilian car and rip off the driver’s-side door.
According to TMZ, an elderly couple had been riding in the civilian car and both occupants were killed in the attack.
Other Ukrainian civilians have also been caught in harm’s way since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began 13 days ago. In one shocking video, another Ukrainian motorist could be seen speeding through an intersection as a Russian Grad multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) fired a barrage that landed on the roadway around the civilian driver.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said at least 400 Ukrainian civilians had been killed since the start of the Russian invasion and another 800 civilians have been wounded in that time.
The Ukrainian side has also raised concerns that the Russian side may be using potentially illegal weapons, such as cluster bombs and thermobaric explosives.
Last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan announced he intends to open an investigation into potential Russian war crimes committed during its invasion of Ukraine.
Thus far, in less than two weeks, more than 1.5 million civilians have evacuated from Ukraine. Top United Nations refugee official Filippo Grandi has called the evacuation from Ukraine “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.“
