Four people were killed and 19 others injured after Ukrainian forces shelled Donetsk on Tuesday, according to a statement from Russia-backed officials in the occupied city.
No further information about the victims was released by the Russian Joint Centre for Control and Coordination in Donetsk and CNN cannot independently verify its claim.
Pro-Russian authorities in the eastern Ukrainian city reported their third day of shelling by Kyiv’s forces Tuesday.
Some context: Donetsk has been occupied by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, however Ukrainian forces remain within a few miles of its limits. In October, Russia’s legislature approved President Vladimir Putin’s decision to annex four parts of Ukraine, namely Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk, despite not having full control of those regions. The move is illegal under international law.
