DONETSK, January 16. /TASS/. More than 4,400 civilians, including 132 children, have been killed in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) as a result of shelling by Ukrainian troops since the outbreak of the escalation, the DPR’s mission to the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) for issues related to Ukraine’s war crimes said on Monday.

"Over the 333 days of the escalation, as many as 644 civilians, including 26 children, have been killed on the territory within the DPR’s borders before the beginning of the special military operation. As many as 3,769 civilians, including 106 children, have been killed on the liberated territory. In all, 4,413 people, including 132 children, have been killed," it wrote on its Telegram channel.

According to the mission, as many as 4,025 civilians, including 251 children, have been wounded.

As many as 9,537 residential houses and 2,325 civil infrastructure facilities, including 128 medical and 467 educational establishments, have been damaged since February 17, 2022.

Following a dramatic deterioration of the situation in Donbass on February 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 21 announced a decision to recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual aid were signed with their leaders. On February 24, Putin said 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 response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.