Russian Soldiers Shoot Dead 10 People Waiting For Food, US Embassy Says

Russian troops shot and killed 10 people queuing for bread in Ukraine, according to the US Embassy in Kyiv.

It comes on the 21st day of Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation', with millions fleeing and thousands of citizens and troops killed as shelling continues to rock major cities across the country. Russian soldiers have also taken 500 hostages in Mariupol.

The exact number of citizens who have lost their lives as a result of the conflict remains unclear. While the UN has estimated a total of 1,834 civilian casualties so far, with 691 killed and 1,143 injured, the actual death toll may be much higher.

"Today, Russian forces shot and killed 10 people standing in line for bread in Chernihiv. Such horrific attacks must stop. We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any atrocity crimes in Ukraine," the US Embassy tweeted.

The embassy didn't provide or cite any specific evidence of the attack with its tweet, however footage has been circulating on social media allegedly showing the victims.

Moscow has yet to comment on the claims, although Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians with its attacks during the invasion, despite hundreds of photos and videos showing otherwise.

For example, Russia tried to claim that reports blaming its armed forces on the Mariupol maternity hospital bombing, which killed five people and left 17 injured, were "fake news", and that the building had been taken over by Ukrainian "radicals".

A week later, Mariupol has become a besieged city, with 20,000 people fleeing and more than 2,000 killed in the warfare.

The actions of Russia's troops have seen Putin branded a "war criminal" by the US Senate, with the UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab visiting the International Criminal Court in The Hague to gather evidence in order to prosecute the Russian president.

While there's no official single document collating all war crimes, examples include murder, the taking of hostages, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and unnecessarily destroying civilian property.

"Right now, there's a big emphasis on preservation of evidence of war crimes that may or may not have happened," Raab said.

"But also what's coming down the line as Putin responds in ever more barbaric ways to the situation stuttering and stumbling that he's been driving on the ground in terms of his own military campaign."

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information