In Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, a civilian woman was killed and another person was wounded as a result of an artillery shelling by Russian forces. According to the Kramatorsk City Council, the strike hit the Lazurny residential district with three artillery shells; multi-storey residential buildings and a school building were damaged. The incident became a new episode in a series of attacks on the city, which remains under constant threat of strikes by various types of weaponry.
Shelling of the Lazurny district
According to reports, Russian military forces used three artillery shells against the city, which landed in the Lazurny residential district. Local authorities confirmed the shelling and began assessing the consequences. Kramatorsk, like other settlements in the region, continues to remain under constant threat of attacks, making each such incident part of a prolonged series of strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Casualties and the wounded
A civilian woman born in 1956 was killed as a result of the shelling. A man born in 1961 was wounded; he is receiving the necessary medical care. As of the time of publication, the confirmed number of casualties is limited to one wounded person, although authorities do not rule out updating the data as rescue services complete their work.
Damage to civilian infrastructure
Several multi-storey residential buildings, as well as a building used for general secondary education (a school), were damaged in the city. The damage is being assessed by local services, and residents of nearby buildings are being warned of the danger. Damage to an educational institution is particularly alarming, as schools in combat zones regularly become targets of strikes and cause direct harm to civilians.
Series of attacks: air strikes on September 20 and 13
The artillery shelling was a continuation of a series of attacks on the city. According to available data, on September 20 Russian forces struck an evacuation point in Kramatorsk with an aerial bomb, where civilians and volunteers were present; as a result of the direct hit, destruction was recorded, and the consequences of the strike are being established. Earlier, on September 13, four aerial bombs fell on the city, resulting in six people being injured, and rescuers had to extract the wounded from under the rubble.
Contradictory data
Various publications provide not entirely consistent accounts of the air strikes on the city. The main reports on the artillery shelling refer to three shells and one air strike on an evacuation point on September 20. At the same time, a number of sources describe a larger-scale air strike — in particular, the dropping of five aerial bombs (FABs) with the destruction of an entire street is mentioned. The exact number of munitions used and the specific targets of the air strikes may vary depending on the source and the time of data verification; both versions are presented for the sake of completeness.
Authorities' response
Local authorities are calling on residents of Kramatorsk to remain vigilant, not to ignore air raid alerts, and to strictly follow the instructions of security services. The city continues to remain under constant threat of attacks, and regular shelling by various types of weaponry is causing damage to civilian infrastructure and the lives of peaceful residents.
