Ukrainian strike on Donetsk kills 10, hits abandoned building, sources diverge

Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-installed occupation administration of the Donetsk region, said in his Telegram channel that the center of Donetsk came under a massive shelling attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the afternoon of August 26. According to him, shells exploded in a densely populated part of the city, wounding three people, including a child.

The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ reported that the city was hit by several missiles, likely FP-5 "Flamingo" rockets. It reported about ten explosions and a massive missile-drone attack. One of the strikes, according to the channel, hit a building at 97 Ilyich Avenue, which previously housed research and industrial institutions. The building is now abandoned, but after the strike eyewitnesses reported loud screams coming from inside.

Later, Exilenova+ said the strikes targeted Russian military deployment sites. The Ukrainian OSINT project "Kiberboroshno" wrote that the strike hit a residential complex of three high-rise buildings with a parking lot for 600 cars, which was hit by six rockets. The channel's authors suggested the facility may have been used as a command post for Russian troops. Supernova+ published a video showing people being carried out on stretchers from a space resembling a closed parking lot, claiming the strike was carried out with American Tomahawk missiles.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing an employee of the Investigative Committee, reported that the city's largest shopping mall, "Donetsk City," was damaged. The agency's source said the AFU attacked the city's civilian infrastructure.

Sources diverge: Pushilin reports three wounded, while Russian military blogger Anatoly Radov reports ten dead. Ukrainian channels claim the strikes targeted military facilities, while the Russian side says civilian infrastructure was attacked. Data also differ on the type of weapon used: Exilenova+ writes about Flamingo missiles, Supernova+ about American Tomahawks. Neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian side has officially commented on the strikes.