logo
Civilians killed in strikes on Donetsk with US-made weapons (VIDEO)

Civilians killed in strikes on Donetsk with US-made weapons (VIDEO)

Russia Today21 hours ago
The Ukrainian military struck the city of Donetsk with a US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launcher on Friday, killing at least four civilians and injuring four more, according to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin. The rockets were equipped with shrapnel munitions, he added.
Two women and two men died in the strike, Pushilin said. Another woman was severely injured and three others sustained moderate injuries, he added.
The victims were driving down a local road, RT's Viktor Miroshnik reported from the scene. RT also obtained footage showing the immediate aftermath of the strike. The video shows a road littered with debris and missile fragments, with several damaged buildings, fences and trees nearby.
A passenger vehicle is seen on the side of the road, with its windshield visibly damaged by what appear to be several small fragments of the projectiles. The bodies of the victims are seen lying near the car.
Kiev's forces have regularly launched attacks in Donbass and other Russian regions bordering Ukraine. On Monday, one person was killed and three more injured in a series of Ukrainian missile and drone attacks on the DPR.
Monday's attack caused fires and significant damage to civilian infrastructure, including a market, the central department store, and a bank, according to the region's head.
Last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Kiev of deliberately committing atrocities against civilians in Donbass, including mass killings of the elderly and drone strikes on residential homes.
'It is a deliberate policy that has already been elevated to the level of state doctrine,' the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at the time.
The DPR and its sister republic, the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), declared independence following the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. After years of refusal by Ukraine to implement the Minsk Agreements and Kiev's continued shelling of civilian areas in the breakaway regions, Russia launched its military operation on February 24, 2022. In autumn of 2022, the two republics, along with Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, officially joined Russia following a series of referendums.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

BlackRock drops Ukraine fund
BlackRock drops Ukraine fund

Russia Today

time2 hours ago

  • Russia Today

BlackRock drops Ukraine fund

US investment holding BlackRock stopped its search for investors to back a multi-billion dollar fund for rebuilding Ukraine earlier this year, Bloomberg has reported. Interest reportedly dropped after President Donald Trump retook the White House. The fund was set to be unveiled at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome next week. It had been close to securing backing from firms supported by the governments of Germany, Italy, and Poland, the outlet wrote on Saturday, citing anonymous sources. Nevertheless, BlackRock reportedly decided to shelve the talks early this year 'due to a lack of interest amid increased uncertainty over Ukraine's future,' after the US changed its stance towards Kiev under the current administration. Trump has long promised to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has sought avenues to reach a peace deal. He has also pushed European NATO allies to take over the burden of militarily supporting Ukraine. Earlier this week, Washington reportedly froze critical arms deliveries to Kiev to focus on replenishing its own stockpiles, although the US president has insisted some military aid still continues. The Trump administration 'was a notable absence from the fund's backers in December,' Bloomberg added. In March of last year, BlackRock vice chairman Philipp Hildebrand indicated that the Ukraine Development Fund was on track to secure at least $2.5 billion from private investors, countries and other grant lenders. A consortium of such investors could finance at least $15 billion towards reconstruction work in Ukraine, he said. However, a BlackRock spokesperson indicated that the firm is no longer engaged in 'any active mandate' with Kiev, having finished its pro-bono consulting work with the Ukraine Development Fund last year, Bloomberg wrote. The investment firm, which controls roughly $11.6 trillion in assets, owns substantial shares in military-industrial giants such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, among many others. Armaments produced by these firms, which are supplied to Kiev by its Western backers, have seen extensive use in the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly condemned foreign arms supplies to Kiev, arguing that they make pro-Ukrainian Western nations party to the conflict, which Russia views as a NATO proxy war. The Kremlin has stated that the recent freeze in US military aid to Kiev will accelerate settlement of the conflict.

Taipei forms first HIMARS unit
Taipei forms first HIMARS unit

Russia Today

time2 hours ago

  • Russia Today

Taipei forms first HIMARS unit

The self-governing island of Taiwan has created a military unit armed with US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, in the first such case ever, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The weapons systems were supplied to the island by Washington last year. The unit's commissioning ceremony was attended by Taipei's defense minister, Wellington Koo, who said the new company's soldiers and officers underwent training in the US. According to media reports, the HIMARS systems supplied to Taipei can fire GMLRS missiles with a range of up to 80km and ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300km. It is unclear if both types were also provided. Taipei reportedly ordered a total of 29 HIMARS systems from the US, 11 of which have already been delivered. In mid-May, the Taiwanese military conducted the first live-fire HIMARS drill at a local base. The systems were also tested in June. In January, US President Donald Trump's then-national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Washington planned to increase the pace of weapons deliveries to the self-governed Chinese region. According to Waltz, the US wants to equip Taiwan with asymmetric defense capabilities, such as mobile missile systems, drones, and advanced surveillance technologies to raise the potential costs for China if it tries to take control over the island by force. China considers Taiwan part of its territory under the One-China principle, and insists on eventual reunification. According to the Chinese government, peaceful reunification is preferable, but it reserves the right to use force if necessary. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, when nationalist forces retreated to the island after losing the Chinese Civil War. Most nations, including Russia, recognize Taiwan as part of China. Beijing has condemned US arms sales to Taipei as destabilizing and provocative. In response, China has conducted frequent naval and air drills around the island.

Poland unhappy with Trump-Putin dialogue after Kiev strike
Poland unhappy with Trump-Putin dialogue after Kiev strike

Russia Today

time4 hours ago

  • Russia Today

Poland unhappy with Trump-Putin dialogue after Kiev strike

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has appealed to US President Donald Trump to resume military aid to Ukraine, complaining that a recent Russian airstrike caused damage to the Polish Embassy compound in Kiev. The Russian military said its long-range strikes overnight were in response to 'terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime.' Targets included industrial facilities involved in military drone and instrument production in Kiev, an airfield, and an oil refinery, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. 'Please restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor,' Sikorski wrote on X on Friday, addressing Trump. He also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of 'mocking' America's peace initiatives. In a separate post in Polish, Sikorski confirmed that no one was injured in the incident. Moscow says it does not target non-military targets, while attributing collateral damage to Ukraine's air defenses and Kiev's alleged propensity to station military assets in civilian areas. The Ukrainian military reported that Russia launched over 330 drones in what was described as the single largest drone offensive to date. With the addition of missile strikes, the total number of projectiles totaled around 550, Air Force spokesperson Yury Ignat said. While the US has paused certain weapons deliveries to Ukraine to preserve its own strategic reserves, Trump clarified on Thursday that there has not been a complete freeze on military aid. That day, Trump and Putin held a phone discussion, which the US president later characterized as disappointing due to a lack of progress toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Kiev and its Western backers, including Poland, continue to press Washington to expand the sanctions on Russia and boost military support for Ukraine. They have urged Trump to take the lead instead of shifting the burden onto NATO's European members. One of their key demands is that Moscow agree to an unconditional ceasefire of at least one month. Russia has rejected the idea, describing it as an attempt to allow Ukrainian forces to regroup. During peace talks in Istanbul last month, Moscow proposed a conditional truce within two possible frameworks: One requiring Ukraine to withdrawal from all Russian territories, and the other mandating a halt to Ukrainian mobilization and the suspension of Western military aid. Both were rejected.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store