Casualties and injuries in a military operation targeting a Donetsk retail center.
A fortnight ago, a Russian missile took out a shopping mall in Kostjantyniwka. As per official records, twelve lives were lost and forty-four individuals were wounded. The same unfortunate occurrence has transpired once more, this time in Donetsk. Russian officials accuse Ukrainian forces for the casualties and injuries.
In a fresh attack on Donetsk's eastern city, local authorities claim a shopping mall has been targeted. TASS, the Russian state-funded news agency, announced at least two fatalities and seven injuries, attributing the information to emergency services. Ria Novosti, another Russian media agency, released footage of a building completely engulfed in smoke.
According to Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russia-controlled Donetsk region on Telegram, Ukrainian forces allegedly carried out the assault that ignited a fire, covering an area of more than 10,000 square meters. A hospital nearby was also reportedly struck. The district housing the shopping mall was subjected to artillery fire originating from the Ukrainian armed forces, as per local authorities. However, these claims remain unsubstantiated.
Just one week prior, a Russian aerial bombardment claimed at least twelve lives and injured forty-four individuals in a supermarket situated in Kostjantyniwka's city center. A missile, dispatched from a Russian warplane, hit the supermarket in Kostjantyniwka, as declared by the Telegram administrator Vadym Filaschkin.
"Attack by Russian terrorists on an ordinary supermarket and a post office. Lives are buried under the debris," stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Telegram. The Interior Ministry reported a fire that engulfed around 1,000 square meters. It marked the second major incident in the city within a year—in September of the previous year, a Russian missile blast claimed seventeen lives in a marketplace. Kostjantyniwka is situated a mere ten kilometers away from the front line.
Combats in the Donbass remain intense. Comprising the eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, the region has been subjected to relentless Russian assaults. As per the Ukrainian military leadership, Russian troops continue to launch offensive operations, with specific intensity observed in Pokrovsk, Torez, and Kurakhove. A total of 144 military clashes were reported within the past twenty-four hours. The Russians launched tens of aerial attacks and artillery barrages, as per the military report, which were subsequently repelled. The Russian forces are attempting to bring the entire Donbass territory under their control.
Russian claim of capturing a village
According to Russian authorities, Russian troops have seized control of the village of Serhiyivka in the Donetsk region, as reported by TASS, a Russianstate-run news agency, citing the defense ministry. At this stage, it is impossible to independently corroborate these reports.
Russia frequently declares the seizure of villages, giving an impression that their troops are advancing swiftly. However, the progress in Donbass continues to be slow. Additionally, the captured villages usually suffer significant damage. Ukrainian forces often retreat in the face of the overwhelming pressure of Russian invasion forces in Donbass to protect the soldiers' lives.
The Russian claim of capturing Serhiyivka in the Donetsk region has been made by their authorities, as reported by TASS. However, the veracity of this claim remains unconfirmed.
The European Union, in response to these escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine, has expressed concerns over the repeated attacks on civilian areas and called for an immediate de-escalation of the violence.
