MOSCOW: At least three people were killed, and three others were wounded when Ukraine fired artillery rounds at the city of Donetsk, held by Russian forces, reported by Kremlin-backed officials.
Donetsk, located in eastern Ukraine and under Russian occupation since 2014, has frequently been subjected to what Moscow labels as indiscriminate shelling by Ukrainian forces.
Video footage released by Russian state media depicted bodies strewn across a street cluttered with debris and shattered metal fragments. Another video revealed a small crater on the ground.
Denis Pushilin, head of the region’s Russian-backed administration, stated that the shelling occurred in the Kalininskyi district of Donetsk, causing three fatalities and leaving three others with moderate injuries. According to Pushilin, the artillery rounds were fired by Ukrainian forces using a Grad multiple rocket launcher system.
Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of escalating attacks on civilian areas in recent months. On January 21, Russian-backed officials accused Ukraine of striking a Donetsk suburb, resulting in 27 casualties, many of whom were shopping at a busy market.
In retaliation, Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks targeted Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine on Monday, causing at least one injury and damaging several homes, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Ukraine claimed that Russia fired shells at its military and civilian areas across the country on Monday, launching rocket attacks at least 86 times over the past day.
