Russia Says Ukraine Struck Shopping Mall in Occupied Donetsk – The Moscow Times

A crowded shopping mall in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk caught fire after alleged Ukrainian shelling on Friday.

Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-appointed governor of the Donetsk region, accused Ukrainian forces of wounding at least seven civilians in “targeted massive strikes” on southwestern Donetsk.

He said the attacks damaged a local hospital and burned the Galaktika shopping mall over an area of 10,000 square meters.

“Extinguishing the fire is complicated by the operational environment that’s forcing the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry workers to move to a safe distance,” Pushilin wrote on social media.

Ukraine has not commented on whether its forces were behind the strike.

Eyewitness videos shared on social media showed flames and thick black smoke engulfing the entirety of a large two-story structure in front of an empty parking lot. 

Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti later showed the destroyed front of the commercial building as smoke continued rising from the back.

The TASS news agency, citing the local emergency services, reported that two people may have been killed in the Galaktika shopping mall attack.

The Kremlin claimed to have annexed the Donetsk region and three other Ukrainian regions in late 2022 even though its forces were still fighting to control the territories.