Ukraine shells Donetsk hospital on Christmas Eve
Ukrainian forces launched multiple attacks against civilian targets in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Saturday, with one of the strikes damaging a hospital, according to local authorities.
At least three people were injured when a shell hit the Central Clinical Hospital No. 6 in the Leninsky district of Donetsk, according to the city's Joint Center for Control and Coordination. All of the victims were patients at the facility. The attack also damaged several houses in other parts of Donetsk, with witnesses calling it a “Christmas miracle” that no one was seriously injured.
Photos and videos from the scene show the aftermath of the explosion, with windows shattered and glass shards and broken blinds scattered throughout the hospital.
Ukraine's army frequently shells Donetsk, due to the city's proximity to the front line. Four people were killed after Kiev’s forces shelled the city shortly after midnight on January 1, in the first deadly attack of 2024.
As Russia prepared to celebrate Christmas on January 7, the Orthodox Church canceled traditional night services in the capital of Belgorod Region and all settlements within a 20-kilometer-wide zone along the Russian border with Ukraine.
The city of Belgorod, located around 40 kilometers from the border, has been the target of Ukrainian missile attacks and shelling since December 30. In that time, a massive strike has claimed the lives of 24 people and left more than 100 injured. According to the Russian military, Kiev’s forces used banned cluster munitions in the attack.
