Ukrainian troops pummeled the city of Donetsk with heavy artillery throughout Saturday, according to a local group that monitors Ukrainian strikes. Over 100 projectiles were fired into residential and suburban areas of the city throughout the day, the report claims.
The strikes claimed the lives of two civilians and injured four others, including a 10-year-old child, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) monitoring group claimed. Kiev’s forces used both NATO- and Soviet-caliber howitzers to target the city, and also fired 30 projectiles from unspecified multiple rocket launchers, the group said.
The westernmost Petrovsky District of the city, which has for months been the prime target for Ukrainian attacks due to its proximity to the front line, was subjected to particularly heavy shelling. Both fatalities were registered there, with footage circulating online showing heavy damage inflicted to residential homes.
Over the course of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has been raging since February 2022, the city of Donetsk has been subjected to heavy artillery strikes by Kiev’s forces on an almost daily basis.
The Donetsk People’s Republic was incorporated into Russia last October, along with the Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as the two former Ukrainian regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson. The populations of the four territories overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in referendums.