Russian officials have accused Ukraine of orchestrating a bombing of a crowded shopping center in occupied Donetsk. According to The Moscow Times and Reuters, the incident occurred on Friday, resulting in a fire that engulfed the “Galaktika” shopping center.
Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-appointed governor of the occupied Donetsk region, claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted a “massive targeted shelling” of the southwestern part of Donetsk, the regional capital. He alleged that the attack wounded at least seven civilians and caused damage to a local hospital.
“Firefighting efforts are being hampered by the operational situation, which forces Russian emergency services to operate from a safe distance,” Pushilin wrote on social media.
Footage shared on social media shows flames and thick black smoke engulfing the two-story shopping center in front of an empty parking lot. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti later released images of the damaged facade of the commercial building, from which smoke continued to rise.
TASS reported that at least two people may have died in the attack on the “Galaktika” shopping center, with the death toll potentially rising as emergency services continue their assessment.
The Kremlin annexed Donetsk, along with Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, at the end of 2022. However, Russian forces have yet to fully control these territories.
The Ukrainian side has yet to comment on the allegations, and the situation remains tense in the conflict zone.
