A large fire has broken out at a shopping mall in the Russian city of Donetsk after the building was shelled by Ukrainian forces, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, said on Friday.
Footage of the blaze at the Galaktika center has been shared on social media. TASS initially reported that the building caught fire after the Petrovsky district of the DPR capital was shelled.
Pushilin later confirmed the attack, writing on his official Telegram channel that Ukrainian forces had targeted the area at around noon on Friday, causing the mall to catch fire. The blaze spread to more than 10,000 square meters. Donetsk Central Hospital No. 14 was also damaged in the bombardment, he said.
Pushilin added that at least 11 civilians have been injured, including a teenager. Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted a large-scale attack on the city’s Petrovsky district throughout the day, using 155-mm artillery and kamikaze drones. Kiev has so far carried out 14 attacks and fired about 50 rounds of ammunition, Pushilin said.
Firefighters and rescue workers are operating at the scene but their work is being complicated by the “operational situation,” the local leader reported.
The SHOT Telegram channel previously claimed that as many as 100 people were believed to have been inside the building when it was hit. Sources within the DPR operational services also previously told TASS that two people had been killed in the attack and warned of more casualties.
The emergency services told the media that several children were believed to be inside the burning complex. “There were families with children. Their fate is being clarified,” one source told TASS.