Ukraine turns schools, churches into military bases in south, Donbass
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The continuous shelling on Donbass and southern Ukraine devastates civilians and friendly infrastructure.
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A music school in Donbass, bombed by the Ukrainian forces
A huge mushroom cloud was spotted over the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk, according to Sputnik correspondent.
The city is home to Koksokhim chemical factory, and is currently under the control of Ukrainian troops. Around the time of the explosion, firefights were reported in the area.
Don't bamboozle me this time. Large mushroom cloud spotted in Donetsk, coming from Avdeevka direction. pic.twitter.com/yaQqYVnyIQ
— Ghost of VDV (@mdfzeh) June 11, 2022
In addition, a senior Russian official on Saturday reported that Ukrainian troops have been amassing heavy weapons and setting up firing bases in schools across Donetsk, including in Slovyansk, Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, and Privolye.
Read more: Western artillery, rocket systems hitting Donbass civilians: Moscow
"In DPR’s Slovyansk, personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces have been quartered in Boarding School No 1 and at the Research Institute of High Voltage Engineering. They set up arms depots and rocket launchers on the grounds," Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev told reporters.
Firing bases were reported in schools No 9 and No 17, along with heavy weapons donated by the US stationed nearby, according to the military official.
Furthermore, Ukrainian soldiers have nested themselves in 2 schools in Privolye. In addition, a school in Pokrovsk holds some snipers, heavy machine guns, military hardware, and multiple rocket launchers. Kiev has turned 3 schools in Mykolaiv, south Ukraine, into firing bases and arms and ordnance depots. Dnipro saw a school, as well as a church, transform into military strongholds for the Ukrainian army.
I empathize with those who are upset over a Ukrainian church that got shelled today. Will they empathize with me that it's worse that the West has ignored the DOZENS of #Donbass churches have been shelled by Ukrainian neo-Nazi forces over an 8 year war of ethnic cleansing? pic.twitter.com/8gNY65940k
— Jake Morphonios 🔴 Blackstone Intelligence (@morphonios) March 8, 2022
Russia evacuates 7,500 civilians from Donbass
On Saturday, more than 7,500 civilians were evacuated in the past day from war-ridden areas in Donbass and south Ukraine, as revealed by Mizintsev.
"Despite all the trouble we have had from official Kiev, we evacuated 7,594 people, including 1,346 children, from dangerous areas in Ukraine and Donbas republics in the past 24 hours," he told reporters.
Since the start of the war, a total of 1.78 million civilians have been evacuated and brought to safety in west Russia.
Russia has also delivered over 25,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
"Starting from March 2, 2022, the Russian Federation has already delivered 25,044 tonnes of essentials, food, medicines, and medical supplies to Ukraine," he said during a briefing.
