Ukraine’s forces have been shelling the city since morning, according to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic
FILE PHOTO. Consequences of shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine of a school in the village of Biryuzova, Kirovsky district of Donetsk. © Sergey Baturin; RIA Novosti
Ukraine’s armed forces have fired over a hundred shells at residential areas of the Russian city of Donetsk since the early hours of Tuesday, with strikes still ongoing, according to Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) officials.
The acting head of the republic, Denis Pushilin, reported in the morning that the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) had registered over 40 shellings and the launch of 148 munitions at several Donetsk districts using 122mm rocket artillery as well as 152mm Soviet and 155mm NATO rounds.
Mayor Aleksey Kulemzin later said on Telegram that the attacks were continuing. According to the official, a number of civilians have been injured and several buildings, including a school, have been severely damaged in the Ukrainian bombardments. He said one building was completely destroyed as a result of a fire that broke out.
The exact number of civilians injured in the strikes and their current condition remains unknown, but according to reports, they include a driver and two employees of an ecological company whose garbage truck was directly hit by a Ukrainian shell. Kulemzin also said another civilian vehicle was hit by the shells, injuring three more people.
Donetsk and other Donbass cities have suffered from Ukrainian artillery strikes claiming numerous civilian lives since 2014, when the region broke away from Kiev after a Western-backed coup.
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Over the years, Ukraine’s military established heavily fortified positions around the city. The attacks intensified after the launch of Moscow’s military operation against Kiev in February 2022, leaving scores of civilians killed and inflicting major damage on infrastructure.
Last week, Ukrainian forces reportedly used cluster munitions during yet another round of attacks, triggering fires in three districts and damaging the Donetsk University of Economics and Trade as well as several apartment buildings. During the week, at least four people were reported killed and ten injured in Ukrainian bombardments of Donbass.
