Three individuals were tragically killed and ten others wounded when Russian forces launched an attack on a boat carrying evacuees from flooded occupied territory to the Ukrainian-controlled

city of Kherson, according to the regional governor.

The region has been grappling with catastrophic flooding after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, with both Kyiv and Moscow accusing each other of deliberately causing the explosion.

Kherson region's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, stated that "three civilians died, ten more people were wounded, including two law enforcement officers." He revealed that a 74-year-old man heroically shielded a woman from Russian fire but was fatally hit in the back.

Details regarding how the Russian forces attacked the boat were not provided in Prokudin's statement.

The incident was first reported by Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who stated on Telegram messenger that the boat was carrying evacuees from flooded areas in the occupied territory to Kherson.

Yermak wrote, "The Russian army attacked a boat with civilians evacuating from the left bank of Kherson region."

Reuters was unable to independently verify the attack at the time of reporting.

Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians. However, their full-scale invasion in February 2022 has resulted in the deaths of thousands, displaced millions, and led to the destruction of cities. Photo by Armyinform, Wikimedia commons.