Artillery was sent down to the peaceful city of Kostyantynivka, killing 17 in a market street in the middle of the city.
The explosion happened in front of a camera. The explosion had killed those who were shopping at a local store. Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, stated that “Those people did nothing wrong.”, and that the possibility of an increasing death toll is high.
“There was no military target here. This is a peaceful neighborhood in the city center,” said Stefan Slovak, who lives in Kostyantynivka.
Along with the explosion killing 17, it also injured 32 more. A local market, other stores, and pharmacies all report that they were also hit. Locals state that the attack had been the worst one in months, with others only injuring a minor amount of people. With cars being engulfed by flames, clothes burning, and charred surroundings, many questioned why Russia would attack Ukraine this way.
“They are hurting peaceful civilians. Are we soldiers here? Are we hurting them? No! So why? They are just trying to destroy the Ukrainian nation,” said resident Nadezhda Negoda.
An investigation is being conducted by Ukraine’s prosecutor general, who said that the attack was “in pursuit of criminal proceedings for violation of the laws and customs of war.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the strike was deliberate, and that no military bases or plans were being conducted in that region.
Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs said that they had extinguished the flames that spanned over 300 square meters (or 3,200 square feet). Eight different markets and multiple cars were destroyed in the fiery explosion.
Before the attack, other bombings, such as a drone strike, occurred in multiple different port facilities in overnight attacks on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, the capital Kyiv was attacked by a barrage of missiles, however, no injuries or damages occurred. A Ukrainian defense official stated that the missiles were destroyed by anti-air defense systems.