Ukraine used cluster munitions on Donetsk university
Russian officials say Ukraine used cluster munition on a university in Donetsk, with the campus being set on fire.
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Funeral workers load a body of a man killed during shelling conducted by Ukrainian forces, in the Donetsk People's Republic, July 31, 2023 (AP)
A university building's wooden roof in Donetsk caught fire after Ukrainian shelling on Saturday, according to an emergency official in the Russia-controlled city in eastern Ukraine.
Donetsk Mayor Alexei Kulemzin reported on Telegram that the University of Economics and Trade's first building was ablaze due to the recent attack.
To combat the fire, 100 firefighters, 12 water tanks, and three ladders were deployed, as stated by Alexei Kostrubitsky, the emergency minister for the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
Kostrubitsky alleged that the shelling involved the use of cluster munitions, causing the extensive blaze.
As of now, there has been no immediate response from Ukraine regarding the alleged shelling. Both parties deny targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
There were no people inside the building during the shelling, as confirmed by Kostrubitsky. However, the situation was challenging as the roof was made of wood, which caused the fire to spread rapidly.
According to Russia's RIA state news agency, the fire affected an area of about 1,800 square meters (19,400 square feet) before being brought under control early on Sunday.
DPR acting head Denis Pushilin said in late July that 169 munitions had been launched including rocket and canon artillery fire with NATO-supplied munitions.
Reports that cluster munitions had been used in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk circulated on local Telegram channels and social media; however, there is no evidence to support this, and officials made no mention in their daily updates.
It does, however, reveal a belief among locals that Ukraine would use the controversial munitions on civilian populations. This fear is not unfounded.
In October 2014, soon after the conflict broke out in Donbass, the Ukrainian Army was accused of firing cluster munitions into the heart of Donetsk City.
According to the New York Times, there were "clear signs that cluster munitions had been fired from the direction of [Ukrainian] army-held territory, where misfired artillery rockets still containing cluster bomblets were found by villagers in farm fields."
