At least eight dead in Russian bombing of building in eastern Ukraine

At least eight people were killed on Monday when two Russian rockets struck a building in Bakhmut, located in eastern Ukraine. This incident coincides with the Russian army's assertion of recent territorial gains. 

Journalists from Agence France-Presse witnessed rescue workers at the scene, where a five-story building was severely damaged. Rescuers were working to extract survivors from the rubble and using large ladders to evacuate trapped residents.

Pavlo Kirelinko, the head of military administration in Donetsk, reported on Telegram that the attack resulted in "five deaths and fourteen injuries. Additionally, two government rescue workers, a military personnel, nine police officers, a local government official, and a soldier were killed." 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier stated that Russia targeted a "regular residential building." He tweeted via the "X" platform (formerly Twitter), "Two rockets were fired. A regular residential building was hit. Unfortunately, there are casualties. Medics (...) are on site. Rescue operations are ongoing."

Zelensky also posted a video clip showing individuals clearing debris from the five-story building, which dates back to the Soviet era and suffered severe damage from the strike.

Prior to the conflict, Bakhmut had a population of 60,000 residents.

The military administration of Bakhmut shared on Facebook, "The rescue operation continues. Today, we are drowning in pain, anger, and tears."

Furthermore, authorities in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine reported civilian casualties - a man and a woman - resulting from a Russian airstrike on the village of Krohlyakyvka on Monday evening, where a previous shelling had claimed two lives the day before.

**Russian Advance**

On the diplomatic front, Ukraine expressed its satisfaction with a summit held in Saudi Arabia over the weekend to explore a peaceful settlement to the conflict, an invitation not extended to Moscow.

The talks held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over the weekend involved around 40 countries, including emerging powers like India and Brazil. It's worth noting that neither Russia nor Ukraine displayed contentment with Western efforts to impose sanctions on Russia.

The United States welcomed China's participation in these discussions. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller remarked to reporters, "I think China's presence was productive." China has offered diplomatic support to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, without providing military assistance.

Moscow, however, dismissed this initiative. Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency, stated, "Once again, we've witnessed the futile attempt by the US administration to impose its desires as reality. There has been no diplomatic success in Jeddah."

The diplomat added that discussing the Ukrainian crisis without Russia's involvement is impractical, emphasizing, "Hasn't anyone realized that in such a situation, tangible results are impossible to achieve?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP