On the second day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, sought to reassure the international community about civilian casualties.
"Nobody is going to attack the people of Ukraine," he said during a heated press conference, adding that "no strikes on civilian infrastructure" had occurred.
However, reports of apartment buildings and kindergartens being shelled, civilians being killed, and rockets being discovered in residential streets have been trickling in since the offensive began.
CNN's analysis and geolocation of social media videos, photos, and satellite images confirms that Russian forces have hit densely populated areas on several occasions. CNN has contacted the Russian government for comment.
Amnesty International accused Russian forces of "indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals" in a press release on Friday, citing three examples, including an attack on Thursday near a hospital building in Vuhledar, in the eastern Donetsk region. According to Amnesty International, the attack killed four civilians and injured ten more.
Here are some examples discovered by CNN.
Okhtyrka Kindergarten, Vorzel Orphanage
According to several public officials, a kindergarten in Okhtyrka, in Sumy's north-eastern region, was shelled on Friday. According to the mayor, Pavel Kuzmenko, the shelling was carried out by a Russian Uragan multiple launch rocket system, injuring several children.
Dmytro Zhivitsky, the Head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, confirmed the alleged attack on Sonechko kindergarten, saying it was the third shelling in Okhtyrka on Friday.
A video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN to the Okhtyrka kindergarten shows injured people covered in blood on the ground in front of the entrance.
Following the alleged attack, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba charged the Russian Federation with "war crimes."
"Today's Russian attacks on a kindergarten and orphanage are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute," Kuleba said in a tweet.
"We are gathering this and other information with the assistance of the General Prosecutor's Office, which we will send to the Hague as soon as possible. Responsibility is an unavoidable reality "He continued.
Lyudmila Denisova, the Verkhovna Rada's Ombudsman for Human Rights, also mentioned the orphanage.
"As a result of heavy armor shelling of an orphanage in Vorzel, Kyiv region, 51 children are currently at risk of life and health, including three children with severe health problems and 15 infants. The institution's two buildings were damaged "She stated.
Bucha and Kharkiv have been hit by rockets
On Friday, a video of a projectile hitting the tarmac on a residential road surfaced on Facebook. The user who posted it then attached a photo of a fragment in hand and wrote, "the fragment is on our doorstep."
CNN traced the video to a residential address in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb.
Based on the footage, experts and open source analysts are debating whether the rocket carried a cluster munition.
According to CNN, the projectile is a cluster munition, according to Mark Hiznay, associate director of Human Rights Watch's arms division. The munition detonated upon landing ""It will hit a wide area and shoot 9mm bullets all over the place," Hiznay explained. Quite repulsive."
Another explosive device landed in a residential area of Kharkiv, Ukraine's northeastern city.
A large projectile was seen plowing through a pedestrian crossing in one image that circulated on social media. CNN determined that the image was taken in Kharkiv.
Hiznay identified the weapon as a Smerch rocket motor and stated that it was most likely no longer dangerous.
Chuhuiv apartment complex
An apartment building in the eastern city of Chuhuiv, outside Kharkiv, was damaged in an attack on Thursday blamed on Russian forces, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry named Chuhuiv as one of the targets of the Russian offensive's heavy shelling and strikes on the first day.
Maxar released new imagery of a nearby airport, which was most likely the intended target of the attack. Damage to fuel storage areas and other airport infrastructure can be seen in the images.
Images released by news organizations such as Agence France-Presse and Anadolu showed a resident of the Chuhuiv apartment building crying among the wreckage of the strike, an elderly woman wrapped in a blanket sitting outside, and firefighters attending to a fire inside the building.
At least one victim was visible on the ground. According to Amnesty International, photos also showed a single large crater in the ground, implying that the attack was carried out with a single missile or rocket.
CNN has pinpointed the location of the attack.
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