Ukraine shells Donetsk shopping mall

Ukrainian troops have shelled the Galaktika shopping mall in Donetsk, leaving a major fire ablaze in the building, according to the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) emergency officials on Wednesday.

The staff has been evacuated, and while there are no casualties reported, photos posted on social media allegedly show huge clouds of thick smoke coming from the building.

A day before, Ukrainian forces used NATO-standard artillery shells to bombard residential blocks in Donetsk, killing three civilians and directly hitting the office of DPR chief Denis Pushilin, while a hotel where journalists usually stay was also destroyed. Pushilin, who was uninjured, accused Kiev of using “terrorist methods” of warfare.

As of the beginning of this month, Central Donetsk has been undergoing some mine clearance works that have been threatening civilians, and since Ukraine has been equipped with NATO’s Tochka-U tactical missile systems and long-range rocket systems, the number of civilian casualties in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has increased beyond the double.

In February, the Kremlin recognized the Donbas republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. That same month, Ukraine also shelled a hospital in Donetsk and caused the death of eight civilians in another strike on the region.