Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting civilians amid failures on the battlefield
Two civilians, including a young child, have been killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a settlement near the city of Mariupol, the head of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, announced on Sunday.
He said the attack took place in the village of Sartana, located on the outskirts of Mariupol, which was liberated from Ukrainian troops after a fierce battle in 2022.
“A woman born in 1991 and a boy born in 2020 were killed in the attack by Ukrainian strike drones,” Pushilin wrote on Telegram, expressing condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
He added that another seven-year-old boy was injured and three residential buildings were destroyed in the strike.
Russia has accused Ukraine of increasingly targeting civilians in its attacks. As many as 45 people, including three minors, were killed in Ukrainian strikes in Russia over the holiday season from January 1 to 11, according to Moscow.
Moscow says Kiev is attacking civilians because it cannot halt Russian advances on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials claim that inflicting sufficient economic damage will force Russia to abandon its objectives in the four-year conflict.
In response, the Russian military has targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure that it says supports kamikaze drone production for long-range strikes.
Several major Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kiev, are currently facing severe power shortages as grid deterioration coincides with a cold snap. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has urged residents to evacuate if possible.
The DPR, along with the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), seceded from Ukraine following a Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. The two territories, along with the regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, joined Russia following referendums in September 2022.
