- By Francesca Gillett
- BBC News
Jul 8, 2023 at 12:25pm BST
Updated 27 minutes ago
Image source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine
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According to authorities, the attack caused fires in several cars
At least eight people have been killed in an attack on a residential area in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian authorities.
According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, another 13 people were injured in the Russian shelling of the city of Lyman.
The strike caused fires in a house, a print shop and three cars, which have now been extinguished by rescue workers, the ministry said.
This is to mark the 500th day of the invasion of the country.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which began last month, continues in the east Donetsk and south-east Zaporizhia regions.
Its progress has been slow as Russia continues its missile and drone strikes.
Russia has “concentrated fairly strong forces there,” spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Troops Group, Serhiy Cherevatyy, said on Ukrainian television on Friday.
“Around 10:00 a.m., the Russians hit the city with multiple rocket launchers,” Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on social media on Saturday. He said a home and a business were damaged.
The BBC could not verify the claims.
Image source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine
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Authorities shared photos of the aftermath of the attack on social media
Ten people, including a 95-year-old woman, were killed on Thursday after a Russian missile struck an apartment building in Lviv, western Ukraine.
Another 40 people were injured in an attack on the city’s civilian infrastructure, which the mayor of Lviv called “one of the largest attacks”.
And last week, 13 people – including children – were killed when a restaurant and shopping center were attacked in Kramatorsk, an eastern city near Russian-held parts of Ukraine.
For months, Russia has been conducting deadly missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, often hitting civilian targets and causing widespread power outages.
“From here, from this place of victory, I would like to thank each of our soldiers for these 500 days,” said Mr. Zelenskyy.
And earlier this week, the US’s top military officer, General Mark Milley, said that although Ukraine is steadily advancing, its counteroffensive against Russia will be difficult and “very bloody”.
The Ukrainian General Staff has reported that Ukrainian forces have been conducting offensive operations south and north of what remains of the eastern city of Bakhmut – mostly under Russian control.
Last week, Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief said his campaign had been hampered by a lack of sufficient firepower and expressed frustration at slow arms shipments promised by the West.
The US was criticized for its decision, but Mr Zelenskyy thanked the US for the “timely, comprehensive and much-needed” aid.