On the 28th (local time), the 339th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dozens of casualties, including civilians, were caused by Russian missile airstrikes in eastern Ukraine. Russia accused Ukrainian forces of “serious war crimes” in attacking civilian medical facilities, claiming that patients and medical staff were harmed.
According to foreign media such as The Guardian and CNN, Ukrainian forces reported that Russia had shelled 40 settlements near Bakhmut, a city in the eastern Donetsk region that has been at the center of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.
Military sources said Ukrainian forces were struggling to maintain their upper hand in Bahmut after withdrawing from the nearby city of Soledar last week.
One source said the Russians were destroying anything that could be used for concealment. “The Ukrainians don’t have enough artillery.” The danger of encirclement in Bahmut is said to be growing as Ukrainian forces face a lack of artillery capable of stopping the advancing Russian forces.
Russian airstrikes have killed civilians in the Ukrainian city of Konstantinovka.
Donetsk governor Pablo Kirilenko said three civilians were killed in a Russian missile attack on a residential area in the city of Konstantinovka in the morning. In this regard, Archyde.com reported that 14 people were injured in the attack and that four apartment buildings and a hotel were also damaged.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russia was bombing the town of Buledar in eastern Ukraine with missile strikes.
Over the past day, Russian forces have fired about 299 rockets and shells at a village about 40 kilometers southwest of Donetsk, said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukrainian national security adviser Oleksi Danilov said Russia was preparing a new offensive to mark the anniversary of the February 24 invasion. Security Adviser Danilov claimed that Russian forces were tasked with going “across the border” in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Serhii Cherevatyi of the Ukrainian Army’s Eastern Corps said on Monday that Russian forces fired about 299 rockets and shells at a village about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) southwest of the city of Donetsk.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian troops attacked a hospital in eastern Luhansk region, killing dozens.
In a statement, the Ministry of National Defense claimed, “Ukrainian forces deliberately attacked a local hospital building in the village of Novoaydar on the morning of Saturday (28th) with an American-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).”
The Defense Ministry also added that 14 hospital patients and medical staff were killed and 24 wounded, AFP reported.
“A deliberate missile attack on a civilian medical facility known to be active is undoubtedly a grave war crime by the Ukrainian regime,” the ministry said.
[서울=뉴시스]