- Deadly Explosion Strikes Kostyantynivka in Eastern Ukraine
- President Zelensky Blames Moscow for the Attack
- Investigation into the Incident and Renewed US Support for Ukraine
President Zelensky condemned a “deliberate” assault on the “peaceful city” of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine.
At least seventeen people, including a child, were slain in the explosion, which occurred on a bustling market street in the middle of the day, a rare occurrence.
In the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, Kostyantynivka is close to the front line.
Social media videos depict a brilliant orange explosion occurring at the far end of a shopping street. Russia has not yet responded to the attack.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who has placed the responsibility on Moscow, stated that those killed were “people who did nothing wrong” and warned that the number of fatalities could rise.
He stated that dealing with Russia required ignoring the audacity of evil.
At least 32 individuals may have been injured. Reportedly, a market, a pharmacy, and stores were all affected by the fire, which is now under control.
Ukraine’s interior minister Ihor Klymenko declared the search and rescue effort over just after 18:00 local time (16:00 BST).
The instant of the explosion and its graphic aftermath were depicted in video and images that were widely circulated online.
It was one of the most heinous assaults on Ukrainian civilians since the spring, and it occurred on a busy street as people flocked to market stalls and café terraces.
Mr. Zelensky characterized it as “complete inhumanity,” while his wife Olena Zelenska described it as “horrendous cruelty.”
The prosecutor-general of Ukraine has opened an investigation into the assault, stating that “criminal proceedings for violation of the laws and customs of war” are being pursued.
A statement added, “Prosecutors are taking all possible and appropriate steps to document war crimes committed by the Russian Federation.”
Russian officials have yet to claim responsibility for the assault. They have previously denied that their offensive targets civilians.
As a consequence of its proximity to the battlefield, Kostyantynivka has been attacked on multiple occasions this year:
Six civilians were killed and sixteen apartment buildings and a nursery school damaged by missiles and rockets on April 2.
Two persons, including a 15-year-old girl, were killed on 13 May when Smerch rockets targeted high-rise buildings, houses, a gas station, a pharmacy, and shops.
On July 24, Ukraine claimed Russian groups used cluster munitions to kill two toddlers.
It is 27 kilometres (17 miles) from Bakhmut, a Donetsk city where fighting has been ongoing.
Since 2014, Donetsk has been under the control of Russia’s proxy authorities, who have repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the city since the beginning of the conflict with Russia in February of last year.
Wednesday’s assault coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Ukraine, where he met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
In the hours before his arrival, sirens sounded nationwide and Kyiv’s air defence system intercepted rockets.
Mr. Blinken pledged increased support for Ukraine’s military and economy during this mission, his fourth to the Ukrainian capital in the past eighteen months.
