Authorities are at the scene checking information about other dead and missing people, Pushilin explained. The regional governor had already estimated the death toll at 13 and spoke of a “terrible bomb attack”. In some cases, Ukrainian media also distributed photos and videos of a devastated market. Donetsk Mayor Alexei Kulemsin spoke of a “barbaric attack” on a civilian area of the city by Ukrainian armed forces.
The large city of Donetsk is located in eastern Ukraine, about 20 kilometers from the front. It came under the control of pro-Russian separatists as early as 2014 and has been regularly attacked by the Ukrainian army since then. According to Russian-controlled authorities, four people were killed and 13 others were injured in attacks on New Year's Eve. The latest attack on the market is the most devastating in recent months.
The Ukrainian armed forces have repeatedly stated that they want to retake the area occupied by Russian troops. The Donetsk region is partly controlled by Russian troops and partly by Ukrainian troops. Fighting there has been ongoing since 2014, when separatists loyal to Moscow broke away from Kiev following the fall of Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. The new pro-Western leadership in Kiev then tried, in vain, to regain control of Donetsk and other cities in Donbass through a military operation.
In February 2022, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin initially recognized the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states and then began his war against Ukraine under the pretext of protecting Russian citizens in that country. In autumn 2022, Putin annexed the regions along with the partially occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and incorporated them into the Russian Federation.