Many dead, injured after Russian strike hits Kostiantynivka market in eastern Ukraine
(Update: upgrades casualties, adds info)
Kyiv, Sep 6 (EFE).- At least 17 people were killed and more than 30 others were wounded in a Russian attack Wednesday on a market in the center of Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk province of eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the search and rescue work had been completed, according to Ukrinform.
“They hit the central market. As a result, 16 people were killed and five were injured. The type of weapons (used for the strike) is still being determined,” Tetiana Ihnatchenko, an aide to the Donetsk regional governor, told Ukrinform.
About 20 stores, a power transmission line, an administrative building and a residential building were damaged in the attack, which destroyed cars and several market stalls, the Prosecutor’s Office said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack by “Russian terrorists” on Telegram, warning that the number of casualties could still rise.
The strike hit “a regular market. Shops. A pharmacy. People who did nothing wrong,” Zelenskyy said.
He also condemned those who are still attempting to “deal with anything Russian,” accusing them of “turning a blind eye to this reality. The audacity of evil. The brazenness of wickedness. Utter inhumanity.”
“This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,” Zelenskyy said.
The Russian strike on Kostiantynivka came on the same day that the capital Kyiv came under attack hours before United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the city to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and Zelenskyy. EFE
mg/ks
