There were also 20 injured, the head of the Russian-annexed Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, said on Sunday. Pushilin had previously spoken of 13 dead and ten injured. The information could not be independently verified. According to Pushilin, the market in a suburb of Donetsk, less than 20 kilometers from the front, was bombed early in the morning, when many people were shopping there on Sunday.
Some Ukrainian media outlets also distributed photos and videos of a devastated market. Russian state television showed footage of a huge explosion. People lying on the street could also be seen in the photos, the authenticity of which could not be verified. Two children were among those seriously injured, Pushilin said. He expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.
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Ukraine: How important is international aid?
Moscow: Six artillery volleys
Donetsk Mayor Alexei Kulemsin spoke of a “barbaric attack” on a civilian area of the city by Ukrainian armed forces. According to authorities, there were combined artillery attacks with large-caliber ammunition. Russia has constantly attacked civilian targets since the attack on Ukraine, but Moscow denies this. In November of the previous year, a UN observation mission had documented at least 10,000 civilian deaths; the real number will likely be much higher. The vast majority of those killed were victims of Russian attacks.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said the attack was carried out with “six” artillery volleys from Avdiivka, the center of the fighting that is still under Kiev's control. The attack shows the need to achieve the objectives of the “special military operation” in Ukraine, he said.
Regular attacks in Donetsk
The large city of Donetsk is close to the front. It came under the control of pro-Russian separatists as early as 2014 and has been regularly attacked by the Ukrainian army since then. According to Russian-controlled authorities, four people were killed and 13 others were injured in attacks on New Year's Eve. The latest attack on the market is the most serious in recent months.
According to Moscow, Sunday's attack will also be the subject of UN Security Council negotiations in New York, starting on Monday, in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also participate.
Moscow: rocket attacks in Crimea
According to Russian information, the Ukrainian military also fired several rockets at targets on the Crimean peninsula occupied by Moscow. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said one of the missiles was fired over the Black Sea. Another flying object was destroyed in the port area of Sevastopol, Moscow-appointed governor Mikhail Razvoshayev said. The air alert over Crimea was then suspended.
Russia takes small village
Russia said on Sunday it had captured a small village in eastern Ukraine. “The village of Krakhmalnoye in the Kharkiv region has been liberated,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. Krakhmalnoye is located about 30 kilometers southeast of Kupyansk, a major railway junction with a population of 30,000 that Russian troops have been trying to take for weeks. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began almost two years ago, the village had 45 residents.
According to Ukrainian army spokesman Volodymyr Fitio, the capture of the village “has no strategic significance”. “There are five houses,” he told Ukrainian television. Ukrainian troops continued to hold the front.
Evacuations in the Kharkiv region
Faced with an increase in Russian attacks, authorities in the Kharkiv region ordered the evacuation of 26 locations at the beginning of the week. A total of around 3,000 people were affected, including residents of villages in the Kupyansk district.
The Ukrainian armed forces have repeatedly stated that they want to retake the area occupied by Russian troops. The Donetsk region is partly controlled by Russian troops and partly by Ukrainian troops. Fighting there has been ongoing since 2014, when separatists loyal to Moscow broke away from Kiev following the fall of Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. The new pro-Western leadership in Kiev then tried, in vain, to regain control of Donetsk and other cities in Donbass through a military operation.
Explosions at Russian gas terminal
Meanwhile, a terminal at the facilities of Russian natural gas producer Nowatek in the Leningrad region caught fire on Sunday night. The fire was caused by two explosions, state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing local authorities. There were no injuries at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga and personnel were evacuated, it said.
The trigger for the explosions is still unclear, but local media reported that drones were spotted in the terminal area in Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region. Both Russia and Ukraine use drones in warfare. Ukraine generally does not take responsibility for attacks on Russian territory. Kiev initially did not comment on the incident in St. Petersburg.
Both sides are trying to target, in particular, the energy infrastructure of the opposing side. More recently, Russia blanketed almost all of Ukraine with concerted missile and drone attacks for days.