One person killed in Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk

One person was killed as Ukrainian forces used multiple rocket launchers to shell Donetsk, the capital of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the city’s mayor Aleksey Kulemzin has said.

A research institute in the city’s Kalininsky District was struck on Friday morning, the mayor wrote on Telegram. A 37-year-old woman was killed in the attack, he said. Kulemzin also posted images of the affected four-story building, with its windows blown out and damage done to the upper floors. According to news outlet Readovka, the victim was on the fourth floor when the shell hit.

The military authorities in Donetsk reported that six missiles from multiple rocket launchers had been fired at the city from the Ukrainian side. They didn’t specify if US-supplied HIMARS or some of Kiev’s remaining Soviet-era systems were used in the attack.

Shortly after that, the military authorities reported that five more missiles were directed at the same area.

A security source told news agency RIA Novosti that employees of Russia’s Investigative Committee, who have been working in the Kalininsky District, came under shelling but were able to escape unharmed. There were no deaths or injuries among civilians, he added.

Kulemzin then issued another message on Telegram, stating that the center of Donetsk had been shelled, with one of the missiles landing outside the Green Plaza mall. At least two vehicles were destroyed by missiles elsewhere in the city.

Donetsk has been a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes since the outbreak of the conflict between Kiev and the Donbass republics back in 2014, as Ukraine’s military established heavily fortified positions around the city. The attacks on DPR’s capital intensified after the launch of Moscow’s military operation against Kiev in February 2022, leaving multiple civilians killed and delivering major material damage.

Last August, Russian forces were able to capture the strategic settlement of Peski near Donetsk. However, fighting continues for other Ukrainian-held villages in the area, Avdeevka and Maryinka.

The Donetsk People’s Republic became part of Russia last October together with the People’s Republic of Lugansk and Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, following referendums in which the local populations voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move.

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