Russian strike on supermarket in Kharkiv region kills at least 51

KYIV, Ukraine, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A Russian strike on a supermarket in the village of Hroza, in Kharkiv region of Ukraine, killed at least 51 people Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Zelensky decried the strike as a "fully deliberate, demonstrative and brutal terrorist attack" on an "ordinary grocery store" in a post on social media.

"Russia needs this and similar terrorist attacks for one reason only: to make its genocidal aggression the new normal for the entire world," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Russia had "deliberately and barbarically attacked civilian targets," including a cafe and a store in Hroza in the Kupiansk district.

Zelensky called on nations to implement sanctions against the Russian government.

"Russian terror must be stopped. Everyone who helps Russia circumvent sanctions are criminals. Those who continue to support Russia are all supporting evil," he said.

The attack occurred while Zelensky was meeting with global leaders in Spain at the European Political Community Summit.

Speaking at the summit, Zelensky referenced Kharviv as he stressed the importance of air defense.

"I just visited Kharkiv, the city of 1.2 million people. Border with Russia is less than 24 miles away. Less than 3 minutes for a S-300 missile. Russia terrorizes the city with them and has already destroyed thousands of houses, schools, universities, power plants and transport," he said.

He warned that Russia would turn its sights on other nations if its forces are not defeated in Ukraine.

"Various European countries border the terrorist state and in fact, Russian propagandists and officials talk about them as the next targets of their aggression," he said. "Targets. This is exactly the word they use."

He called on European leaders to provide aid to Ukraine in its efforts to overtake Russia in battle.

"An aggressor is most effectively neutralized by defeat in war," Zelensky said. "Right now in Ukraine, we have the opportunity to fundamentally defeat Russian aggression. Together we have already accomplished things many thought were impossible. Together, we have defended Ukraine."