MOSCOW.- Today’s Ukrainian attack on a market in Donetsk killed at least 25 people and wounded 20, said pro-Russian Denis Pushilin, the leader of the region annexed by Russia in September 2022.
“At present we have confirmed 25 deaths. At least 20 other people were injured, including two children, both of whom are in serious condition, Pushilin said in a statement issued by his press office.
Earlier, the city’s mayor, Alexei Kulemzin, reported on his Telegram channel that 18 people were killed and 13 were injured, though he said authorities were still receiving information about the consequences of the attack.
Pushilin had earlier reported 13 deaths and 10 injuries among the victims of the attack, which he described as “terrible”.
“The attack was conducted with combined artillery fire with 152 and 155 millimeter caliber projectiles,” he indicated.
The market affected by the attack is located in the Tekstilshchik microdistrict southwest of Donetsk, a city over which Ukraine lost control in 2014 and which is located a dozen kilometers from the front line, so within reach of Ukrainian artillery. Is.
The attack on Donetsk comes at a time of intense fighting on the Ukrainian eastern front, where Russian troops have made some progress in the past day, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank.
Russia assures that it initiates actions on all fronts, while Ukraine declares that it maintains an “active defense” that includes the advance of Moscow’s troops.