When Russian troops approached Gostomel in late February, Mayor Yuri Prilipko urged local residents to take care of each other.

" We must resist,” he said in a video message.. - The weapon is coming. Our soldiers are coming. We'll get through this. We just need to stay calm and protect the people around us.. Thanks!

A few days later, Prilipko passed away.. He and another civilian, Ivan Zorya, were killed by Russian soldiers, according to eyewitnesses, while trying to deliver medicine and other aid to the population.. Another civilian, Alexander Karpenko, was killed while trying to rescue them..

As part of its investigation into the deaths of the three men, CNN spoke to three eyewitnesses to the March 3 attack and several other local residents who saw the bodies of Prilipko and Zorya lying in the street for several days after the murder..

Russia Consistently Denies Hitting Civilians During Invasion of Ukraine.

CCTV images on the day of the attack clearly show the mayor was riding in a civilian vehicle when Russian troops opened fire. According to eyewitnesses, there were no other vehicles or military equipment nearby at that moment..