All news

Total of 164 civilians killed in shelling of Gorlovka, Donbas, over 6 months

The number includes 16 children

MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The city of Gorlovka in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the southeast of Ukraine has become the hottest spot on the line of contact in the Donbas regions. Shelling attacks are daily recorded there, the city mayor’s office told the Donetsk news agency on Friday.

"As many as 164 civilians, including 16 children have been killed as a result of military operations over the past six months," the city administration said. Another 501 people have been wounded, including 42 children.

According to the DPR children’s right commissioner Yana Chepikova, the city has reported the largest number of children’s deaths from Ukrainian shells’ explosions. Shelling attacks on the city usually intensify during the night, and the city dwellers are killed in their own homes.

The Ukrainian army’s shelling attacks have totally or partially destroyed 1,935 houses, including apartment buildings and private houses. The mayor’s office said so far it is impossible to say exactly how many residential houses have been damaged: "Many people have not reported their houses’ destruction, and examining the front-line residential neighbourhoods at the moment is life-threatening."

Also, the city’s 80 educational institutions and 18 medical establishments have been damaged by Ukrainian forces’ shelling over the past six months.