DONETSK, August 20. /ITAR-TASS/. Nine civilians were killed and 13 were wounded as two districts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk came under powerful artillery fire on Wednesday, the city council’s press service reported as of 19:30 Moscow time.

The report said one house had been destroyed, another one was on fire and gas pipelines had been damaged. Meanwhile, work continues to restore gas and electricity supply in different districts of the embattled city.

Kiev’s military operation designed to regain control over the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which on May 11 proclaimed their independence at local referendums and now call themselves the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics, was launched in mid-April and has involved armored vehicles, heavy artillery and attack aviation. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, many buildings destroyed and tens of thousands of people forced to flee Ukraine’s war-torn southeast.