27 Dead, Market under Attack: Ukraine Crisis Explodes
Outrage as 27 people dead, 25 more injured in deadly blast in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Donetsk. What’s behind the shocking shelling, and who’s to blame?
The Deadly Blast: What Happened in Donetsk?
Shockwaves in Donetsk: The Aftermath of the Blast
The Ukraine Crisis: Searching for Answers
Attack on Donetsk: The Fallout Continues
A Dark Day for Donetsk: Understanding the Gruesome Reality
At least 27 individuals lost their lives during a strike on a market in the city of Donetsk, which is under Russian control. The devastating blast also resulted in around 25 more people being injured after a shell struck the city in eastern Ukraine.
Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed mayor of the region, has attributed blame for the strike to Ukraine, although Ukrainian forces have vehemently denied any responsibility for the attack. Photographs taken at the scene portrayed the heartbreaking aftermath, with people in tears and bodies laying on blood-soaked snow near one of the city’s markets.
Pushilin declared a day of mourning on Monday in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the territory in eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the severity of the attacks in Donetsk region, claiming that Russia had shelled more than 100 cities, towns, and villages in nine regions of Ukraine in just one day.
The situation in Donetsk escalated further as the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of conducting “a barbaric act of terrorism”, implying that the attack was carried out “with the use of weapons supplied by the West.” This prompted stern condemnation from the Russian side against the Ukrainian military’s actions.
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the treacherous strike against the civilian population, highlighting that such malevolent actions resulted in the loss of innocent lives. Russia also made a point to emphasize that, despite any regrettable Ukrainian attacks, its own campaign of air strikes and heavy shelling had ended the lives of thousands of Ukrainian civilians in the past.
The conflict in Ukraine continued to unfold as the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of the region, Vadym Filashkin, reported that Russian attacks had claimed more lives at two locations west of the city of Donetsk on Sunday. He urged everyone left in Donetsk to evacuate, fearing further attacks and loss of life.
Donetsk is one of four regions in Ukraine’s eastern and southern territories that Russia sought to annex in 2022, leading to widespread international condemnation. Despite this, Russia does not have full control over any of the four regions, which has resulted in continued conflict and loss of life in the region.