DONETSK, February 24. /TASS/. One resident of Gorlovka was killed and another five were wounded in the shelling by Ukraine’s Armed Forces, the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) reported on Thursday.
"The artillery units of Ukraine’s armed forces, covering the retreating units of the 95th separate assault combat brigade are persistently striking the residential areas of the Donetsk People’s Republic. The shelling of the city of Gorlovka with 152-mm conventional artillery resulted in losses among the civilians. Five people were wounded, one person was killed," the statement said.
The agency added that five residential buildings and a water supply facility were damaged in the bombardment.
Earlier on Thursday, Deputy Head of the DPR's People's Militia Eduard Basurin reported the beginning of a military operation amid Ukraine’s aggression.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported later on Thursday that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons.