Donetsk, Mar 14 – DAN. One of the cassettes of the Tochka-U downed over central Donetsk, exploded, killing at least 20 civilians in the central part of the city.
DPR Defence’s deputy chief of staff Eduard Basurin confirmed DAN that the missile has a cassette-type warhead.
The Territorial Defence HQ said that at least 20 people have been killed, nine injured. There are children among the casualties.
The DPR Head Denis Pushilin said speaking at the Rossiya 1 TV Channel that there would have been much more victims if the missile had not been downed, Donetsk News Agency Reports.
According to the Lugansk People’s Republic, Ukrainian forces near the settlement of Popasnaya used civilians as human shields, killing anyone who attempted to escape.
LPR troops have discovered sites of mass killing on territory recently liberated from Ukrainian forces, the militia announced on Sunday. The sites were located near the railway, according to a statement published on Telegram.
LPR and DPR troops have been reclaiming the territory of the republics and forcing the Ukrainian military out since 24 February, when Russia launched its special operation in Ukraine. Russian forces have been targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure with precision weapons, eliminating 3,593 military objects.
President Vladimir Putin stated that the op was started to stop the eight-year-long military campaign waged by Kiev, saying that the Ukrainian authorities were carrying out a genocide of the people of Donbass. He stressed that Russia aims for the de-Nazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine, adding that the perpetrators of war crimes in Donbass must be held accountable.