At least 25 people were killed on Sunday when artillery shells hit a market in Donetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, the pro-Moscow head of the region said, blaming Ukrainian forces for the strike.
If confirmed, the episode would be one of the most serious in recent months involving civilians in an area controlled by Moscow.
The authorities in Ukraine did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not possible to independently confirm the strike.
The area is roughly eight miles east of the front line in the war.
The pro-Russian mayor of Donetsk, Aleksei Kulemzin, said on Telegram that the market “was attacked on Sunday, when it is busiest,” calling it “horrendous.”
Persons:
Denis Pushilin, Aleksei Kulemzin
Organizations:
Moscow
Locations:
Donetsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kirovsky