Ukraine war: 16 killed in market attack in ‘peaceful city’

The “deliberate” attack on Kostyantynivka, “peaceful city” in Ukraine, has been condemned by President Zelensky.

The explosion occurred in the middle of the day on a busy market street, killing at least 16 people, among them a kid.

In the eastern Donetsk area of Ukraine, Kostyantynivka is close to the battle line.

Social media videos depict a bright orange explosion at the end of a street where shoppers were present. Russia has not yet responded to the strike.

Moscow has been blamed for the deaths, but Volodymyr Zelensky claimed those killed were “people who did nothing wrong” and hinted that the death toll would rise.

Dealing with Russia entailed ignoring the audacity of evil, he claimed.

It’s estimated that at least 33 persons had injuries. According to reports, a market, pharmacy, and shops were all struck, causing a now-contained fire.

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Online videos and pictures appeared to capture the explosion’s moment of impact and its horrific aftermath. 17 deaths were first reported, but this number was later lowered to 16.

As crowds swarmed to market stalls and café terraces at around 14:00 local time (12:00 BST), it was one of the biggest attacks on Ukrainian civilians since the spring.

A few hours later, Ihor Klymenko, the interior minister of Ukraine, declared that the search and rescue effort was over.

Local shopkeeper Diana Khodak remembered the moment she urged coworkers and customers to “lie on the floor” after seeing a “flash” of light.

She recalled seeing soldiers carrying a woman later on who “had an open fracture and her bone was sticking out from her leg” to the news agency Reuters.

While his wife Olena Zelenska called the act “horrific cruelty,” Mr. Zelensky called it “utter inhumanity.”

The prosecutor general of Ukraine has opened an inquiry, according to the statement made by his office, and “criminal proceedings for violation of the laws and customs of war” are being pursued.

The statement said, “Prosecutors are taking all reasonable and necessary steps to document war crimes committed by the Russian Federation.”

Russia’s government has not yet made any comments regarding the attack. They have already refuted claims that their onslaught includes targeting civilians.

Due to its proximity to the conflict, Kostyantynivka has taken a number of hits this year:

• On 2 April, 16 apartment buildings and a nursery school were damaged by missiles and rockets, killing six civilians.

• On 13 May, Smerch rockets were used in an attack that killed two people, including a 15-year-old girl, and damaged or destroyed high-rise structures, homes, a gas station, a pharmacy, and shops.

• On July 24, three children died in a strike that Ukraine claimed Russian forces carried out using cluster munitions.

Additionally, Bakhmut, a city in the Donetsk region where fighting is known to have been fierce for some time, is just 17 miles (27 km) away.

Since the start of the war with Russia in February of last year, the authorities in Donetsk, which are controlled by Russia’s proxies, have regularly claimed that Ukrainian forces have been targeting the city.

Attack occurred on Wednesday, the same day that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine and spoke with Mr. Zelensky and other authorities.

Sirens rang throughout the country in the hours prior to his arrival, and Kyiv’s air defense system was occupied with intercepting missiles aimed at the capital.

Mr. Blinken announced yet another US aid package for the war-torn nation during the trip, which was his fourth to the Ukrainian capital in the past 18 months. He stated that it comes to more than $1bn (£799.6m).