A Russian missile struck a supermarket in the Ukrainian town of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region on Friday, killing at least 14 people and injuring 43 others. Ukrainian officials have given this information. Pictures and videos posted by officials showed black smoke rising from the damaged building.
The Ukrainian Interior Minister later said that the fire had been brought under control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social media platform X, ‘Russian terrorists attacked a supermarket and a post office. People are buried under the debris.
‘It is not right to target civilians’
Kostiantynivka is located about 13 kilometers from the active battle line in the east of Ukraine. Russia is continuously shelling and airstriking the Ukrainian government-held parts of the Donetsk region. “No situation on the battlefield can justify targeting civilians,” Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrey Kostin said on Twitter.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians. Ukraine’s regional governor Vadim Fylashkin said Russia had used artillery but later said it had attacked with Kh-38 air-to-surface missiles.
Houses, shops and dozens of cars damaged
Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private postal company, said its cargo office in a supermarket was damaged in the attack. The company said on Twitter, ‘All our employees are alive. A colleague has been injured – he is receiving all necessary help.
According to the Ukrainian Interior Minister’s post on Telegram, houses, shops and more than a dozen cars were also damaged in the attack. Ukraine’s Donetsk region has been one of the most active areas of the fighting from where Russia launched its attacks.