Friday Briefing: Strike kills 51 in Ukrainian village

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October 6, 2023

By Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering a deadly Russian rocket attack in Ukraine and Iranian police under suspicion after a girl lands in a coma.

Plus the boy at the center of a fight over Tibetan Buddhism.

Ukrainian military and police gathering remains at a playground in the Ukrainian village of Hroza yesterday. David Guttenfelder for The New York Times

Russian strike kills 51 in a Ukrainian village

At least 51 people were killed yesterday when a rocket hit a group of people gathered for a wake in the village of Hroza in northeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.

The strike, which hit a shop, was one of the deadliest wartime attacks on civilians since Russia’s full-scale invasion began more than 19 months ago. Images verified by The New York Times show that a building was almost entirely destroyed.

The tiny enclave had no obvious military or industrial targets nearby. “Almost half of the village was killed by a single strike,” said Dmytro Chubenko, a local official.

Photos and videos from the scene released by the Ukrainian authorities showed bodies on the ground and rescue workers clambering over piles of debris. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service warned that people could be trapped under the rubble.

Quotable: President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike as “a demonstrably brutal Russian crime.”

Details: There was no immediate comment on the attack from the Kremlin. In the past, Moscow has denied purposely hitting civilian targets.

In the U.S.: The drama in the House of Representatives over the last week, as Republicans pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown and then deposed their own speaker, also highlighted a sharp decline in G.O.P. support for aid to Ukraine.

The shift is striking for a party that has long promoted a military that defends democracies. Republicans stripped billions in aid requested by President Biden, and could challenge the administration’s promise to support the Ukrainian military for the long haul.

Elsewhere in the war: The U.S. sent munitions it had seized from Iran to Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-powered missile.

Armita Geravand in a social media photo. Armita's Geravand family archive

Iranians suspect police for a girl’s coma

Security camera footage broadcast on Iran’s state television showed 16-year-old Armita Geravand entering a subway car in Tehran on Sunday with her short black hair uncovered. Minutes later, she was dragged out unconscious.

Armita has been in a coma ever since, guarded by security agents in a military hospital. Exactly what happened to her isn’t clear, and the government hasn’t released footage from inside the train that may reveal why she collapsed. But the circumstances have fueled outrage and accusations that agents enforcing Iran’s dress code must have harmed her.

Comparisons have been drawn to Mahsa Amini, who died last year at 22 in the custody of the morality police after being accused of violating Iran’s hijab rules, which require women to cover their hair. Her death set off nationwide protests.

A seller livestreaming at a store in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Tatan Syuflana/Associated Press

TikTok ends its shop feature in Indonesia

Indonesia banned e-commerce on social media platforms last week, forcing the app to shutter TikTok Shop in the country. It was a setback for TikTok’s ambitions in Southeast Asia, where it has about 325 million users, 125 million of whom are in Indonesia.

The measure is meant to protect local merchants, prevent algorithms from dominating the market and stop the use of personal data for business purposes, Indonesia’s trade ministry said. The country’s rapidly growing e-commerce market was worth about $52 billion last year, and about $2.5 billion of that was on TikTok, according to one consulting firm.

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A. Altannar practicing a sand mandala ritual with monks in September. Khasar Sandag for The New York Times

The boy at the center of a fight over Tibetan Buddhism

A. Altannar, who was born into a wealthy mining family in Mongolia, seemed destined for a life of earthly pursuits. Then his father brought him to a monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he was given a secret test. He passed.

The monks had found the 10th reincarnation of the Bogd, one of the three most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, and, for many, the spiritual leader of Mongolia. The naming of a Mongolian reincarnate ensures the country will be drawn deeper into the political chess match between China and the Dalai Lama.

And the Bogd, who is eight years old and likes TikTok and video games, faces decades of theological training, a lifetime of celibacy and the grave responsibility of having to defend Mongolian Buddhism against Chinese pressure.

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cook somen noodles with poached egg, bok choy and mushrooms.

Drink a Zinfandel made from heritage grapes.

Watch what happens when events outside a New Zealand antiques shop turns into a horror show.

Read some of Banana Yoshimoto’s favorite authors.

Play Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you on Monday. — Justin

P.S. Here’s how our podcast “The Headlines” comes together.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

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