A devastating Russian bombardment rocked the town of Kostantinovka in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 16 people and injuring nearly thirty others. This tragic event occurred on the first day of the visit of the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, to the region.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky strongly condemned the attack via the Telegram platform. The shelling affected a market, several shops, and a pharmacy, and among the victims was a child.
Zelensky reported: “Russian terrorist artillery killed 16 people in the town of Kostantinovka in the Donetsk region. He warned that, unfortunately, the number of deaths and injuries could increase.
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal revealed that one of the dead was a child and condemned the attack, urging the defeat of the Russian threat. He also harshly criticized any attempts at rapprochement with Russia, calling his actions inhumane and malevolent.
At a press conference, Shmygal denounced the attack as deliberate, targeting a “peaceful city. Igor Klimenko, Ukraine’s interior minister, reported that at least 28 people were injured in the attack and shared images on Telegram showing rescuers working through rubble and evacuating bodies.
Kostantinovka is located near Bakhmut, where a fierce battle has been raging for the past year. Surrounding cities have also been subject to constant shelling.
Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv comes amid escalating violence in the region and is the first by a senior US official since the start of the Ukrainian army’s counter-offensive. The international community remains concerned about the situation in Ukraine and calls for a ceasefire and the search for a peaceful solution to this devastating conflict.