Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Strike in East Ukraine Kills 5, Wounds Dozens

Roman Pilipey / AFP

Russian strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk killed five people and wounded dozens more on Monday, the governor of the Donetsk region said.

Over recent weeks, Moscow has concentrated its firepower on the eastern industrial region of Donetsk, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia.

AFP journalists at the scene of the strike saw residents picking through debris next to a deep crater and residential buildings shredded by the blast wave.

"Five were killed and 41 wounded," the regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

"Among the wounded are four children: a boy of 12 years old, and girls of 9, 11 and 13 years old," he added on social media.

Filashkin said two Russian-fired Iskander-M missiles destroyed and damaged several homes in Pokrovsk, which had a pre-war population of around 61,000.

"This is one of the largest hostile attacks on civilians in recent times. Its final consequences are yet to be determined," Filashkin added.

Nikolay Kurilov said he was watering flowers in his garden when one of the projectiles landed less than 500 meters away.

"And boom. I almost fell over," the 70-year-old recounted to AFP.

"And about 15 minutes later, there was another boom. We started calling relatives," he said.

Russian forces have been advancing towards Pokrovsk over recent months, since they captured the fortress town of Avdiivka in February.

Filashkin said separately that a 62-year-old man had been killed in a Russian attack on the town of Kurakhove, south of Pokrovsk.

"The Russians dropped a guided aerial missile on the town and an infrastructure facility was damaged," he said, without elaborating.

Filashkin also said that Russian forces had killed a 63-year-old civilian in the town of Toretsk, where Moscow's troops have stepped up attacks following a protracted lull.

Russia claimed to have annexed Donetsk in late 2022, along with three other regions of Ukraine it had partially occupied.

Parts of Donetsk have been controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists since 2014.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more