Ukraine strikes Donbass town with long-range weapons – governor
Ukraine has launched a strike using long-range weapons on a town in Donbass, Donetsk Governor Denis Pushilin has said. The attack did not cause any casualties but led to the evacuation of civilians, he added. Several media reports have indicated that Ukraine used US-supplied HIMARS missiles.
In a Telegram post on Tuesday evening, Pushilin said Kiev’s forces fired “long-range precision weapons on the outskirts of Yenakiyevo,” a town located around 20km northeast of Donetsk. He did not specify the type of weapons used.
“To ensure safety, the city authorities announced the evacuation of civilians from the area adjacent to the site of the attack. There were no casualties,” the governor noted. Aleksandr Demenkov, a deputy head of the district, said that the evacuation was voluntary, with civilians having access to safe shelter and food.
A total of four Ukrainian shells fell in the area, Demenkov added, as cited by RIA Novosti.
According to several Ukrainian and local media outlets, the attack involved three missiles fired from a US-made HIMARS system, which is capable of firing either GMLRS missiles with a range of up to 80km or ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300km.
Ukrainian media reported that the attack targeted a military facility. Russia has not confirmed the claim.
According to Pushilin, one man was injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Gorlovka area, several kilometers north of Yenakiyevo. The authorities have registered a total of six attacks in the region involving long-range assets, 155mm guns and a UAV, he added.
Ukraine has routinely shelled Donbass towns since the start of hostilities in the region following a Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. The strikes have intensified since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said protecting the people of Donbass is one of the country’s priorities in the conflict.
