- Ukrainian police on Thursday said a US citizen was among those killed in a shelling attack by Russian forces.
- "There are dead and wounded people. Among the dead — there is a US citizen," the Chernihiv region police said.
- The US State Department told Insider it was aware of the reports, but couldn't confirm if an American citizen had died.
The State Department on Thursday said a US citizen was among those killed in a shelling attack by Russian forces in the besieged northern city of Chernihiv.
"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine on March 17. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," an email from a State Department representative to Insider said.
The Chernihiv region police also said in a Facebook post that authorities were "documenting the aftermath of enemy shelling of civilians in central Chernihiv."
"Today, the invaders once again launched a heavy artillery attack on unarmed civilians," the police said, adding, "There are dead and wounded people. Among the dead — there is a US citizen."
Police said that authorities were "helping to evacuate the injured citizens to medical facilities."
"Chernihiv police investigators are working at the scene," the department said. "Law enforcement officers carefully record all the circumstances and consequences of Russian war crimes."
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's war against Ukraine on February 24.
And since then Russian troops have shelled multiple Ukrainian cities, including residential buildings and hospitals.
Chernihiv's regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said Thursday that 53 people were killed in the city by Russian forces alone on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
"We are suffering heavy losses — 53 citizens were killed yesterday," Chaus said, according to the news outlet.
Reports emerged on Wednesday that Russian troops killed at least 10 people after opening fire on a group waiting in line for bread in Chernihiv.
The UN human rights office on Thursday said at least 780 civilians, including 58 children, had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded.
However, the UN human rights office said it believes the real death toll is much higher.
Translations by Oleksandr Vynogradov.