Shelling at Donetsk City Hall in Russian-occupied territory... Russian side claims "Ukrainian forces responsible"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] On the morning of the 16th (local time), a shell fell on the city hall building in Donetsk, a Russian-occupied area in eastern Ukraine, causing part of the building to collapse and damaging nearby vehicles, according to local foreign media reports.

According to reports, the city hall building of Donetsk City, the capital of Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine, had its entrance completely destroyed by the shelling, and several vehicles parked near the building were burned or damaged.

Donetsk City is controlled administratively by the pro-Russian separatist group, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Russia recently declared the annexation of four occupied territories in Ukraine, including Donetsk Oblast, following so-called 'referendums.'

The DPR claims that the shelling was carried out by Ukrainian forces. A DPR official stated, "The Ukrainian military has already launched numerous attacks on infrastructure in Russian-occupied areas," adding, "This attack is no different."

The Ukrainian side has not yet issued a statement regarding the shelling of Donetsk City Hall. The previous day, a shooting occurred at a Russian military firing range near the Ukrainian border, resulting in 11 deaths and 15 injuries.

The Russian Ministry of Defense released a statement on the incident, explaining, "Two individuals from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, a group of former Soviet countries) fired at soldiers who volunteered to participate in shooting training, and they were killed in return fire."

The Russian Ministry of Defense has classified the incident as 'terrorism.' Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Belgorod Oblast, reported that although many soldiers died in the incident, there were no civilian casualties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.