Russian troops have killed at least 10 civilians standing in line for bread in Chernihiv, a city in northern Ukraine, on March 16 according to a Ukrainian public broadcaster and the US Embassy in Kyiv, and reports emerging indicate that 67-year-old American professor Jimmy Hill was among those killed.

"He was waiting in a bread line with several other people when they were gunned down by Russian military snipers. His body was found in the street by the local police," said his sister, Cheryl Hill Gordon, on a Facebook post.

Ukrainian officials have confirmed Hill was killed in Chernihiv.

According to Jimmy Hill's Facebook, he was staying in Ukraine with his partner, mentioned as Ira, who was "severely ill," and had been stranded in a hospital with her when the war began on February 24, before eventually being trapped in Chernihiv, one of the heaviest focuses of Russian military strikes.

"Nobody in Chernihiv is safe. Indiscriminate bombing. My partner is very sick and weak now," Hill ominously said on March 1 in a Facebook post.

Hill's Facebook posts show the deteriorating conditions and the harrowing circumstances he felt.

"[W]e are hanging in there...very coold inside. food portions are reduced..bombing and explosions most of the night..hard to sleep. People getting depressed," Hill wrote on March 14.

"Intense bombing!still alive. Limited food. Room very cold.ira in intensive care," Hill's tragic final posting said on Facebook on March 15 said.

"For my Americans [sic] friends and relatives. Please pressure your local representatives to expedite American visas for Ukrainians, especially for families with children and skilled workers," HIll urged his online following on March 7.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening (March 16) at the White House, US President Joe Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin: “I think he is a war criminal.”

Disturbing video filmed on Wednesday morning by a correspondent on the ground for Suspilne, shared with permission with Newsflare, shows bodies on the ground and an ambulance arriving at the scene.

Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reports that the shelling started around 10 am on Wednesday (March 16). On Twitter, Suspilne wrote this morning: "In #Chernihiv, in one of the commuter towns, at about 10:00 am Russian troops shot people standing in a line for bread, as the Suspilne's correspondent reports."

The blue-ticked Twitter account of the US Embassy in Kyiv tweeted to its near 200,000 followers in English and Ukrainian: "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."

Claims Russian soldiers shot Ukrainians queuing for bread. Video supplied by Suspilne, a Ukrainian public broadcaster, with permission