Ukraine-Russia Clash Claims Lives: 25 Fatalities in Shelling of Donetsk
In a tragic incident, twenty-seven people lost their lives, and 25 were injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the Donetsk region.
The attack targeted a busy area with shops and a market, as reported by Alexei Kulemzin, the city’s Russian-installed mayor.
Deadly Attack Strikes Busy Market Area in Donetsk
The aftermath was captured in heart-wrenching Reuters photographs and videos, showing grieving individuals and bodies lying on blood-soaked snow near a market.
Pushilin declared a day of mourning in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the region that Russia claims to have annexed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a nightly video address, did not directly address the attack but highlighted that Russia had shelled over 100 cities, towns, and villages in nine regions in Ukraine on the same day, with particularly severe attacks in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s forces in the Tavria region denied responsibility for the shelling, posting on Facebook, “Donetsk is Ukraine! Russia will have to answer for taking the lives of Ukrainians.” Pushilin reported that 18 of the injured were hospitalized, and seven were being treated as outpatients.
Moscow condemned the attack, labeling it a “barbaric act of terrorism” by Ukraine, alleging the use of weapons supplied by the West. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed categorical condemnation of the strike against the civilian population.
The incident adds to the longstanding conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with Russia launching a full-scale invasion almost two years ago. Despite Russia’s expressions of outrage at Ukrainian attacks, its own campaign of air strikes and heavy shelling has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian civilians.
Vadym Filashkin, the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of the region, reported Russian attacks killing at least two people at locations west of Donetsk. He urged residents to evacuate, emphasizing the dangers posed by the escalating violence.
Escalating Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Russian Attacks Claim Lives as Tensions Continue to Rise
Donetsk is one of the four regions in Ukraine’s east and south that Russia claimed to have annexed in late 2022, a move widely condemned as illegal by most countries at the U.N. General Assembly. However, Russia does not fully control any of these four regions.
In a separate development, Russia’s defense ministry announced the control of the village of Krokhmalne in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
While Ukrainian forces confirmed a withdrawal from the area, they downplayed the significance of the lost territory, stating it had no impact on the overall military situation. The situation remains tense, with both sides engaged in a volatile and deadly conflict.
