By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 16 people were killed and 28 others injured in a Russian strike in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
“At this moment, the artillery of Russian terrorists has killed 16 people in the city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. A regular market. Shops. A pharmacy. People who did nothing wrong. Many wounded,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.
Extending his condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the attack, Zelenskyy said that the number of those killed or injured may rise.
In a separate statement, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram that at least 28 people were injured due to the strike, adding that the country’s State Emergency Service and police are conducting search and rescue operations.
“Debris analysis is ongoing. Police paramedics and doctors provide medical assistance to the injured. Emergency personnel quickly extinguished the fire with an area of 300 square meters (3,229 square feet). About 30 trade pavilions were damaged,” Klymenko also said.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which started in February 2022, has killed over 9,500 civilians and wounded more than 17,200, according to the latest UN figures.