Russian forces attacked the front-line villages of Ocheretyne and Niu-York in Donetsk Oblast with guided bombs, injuring three civilians and damaging houses, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Dec. 24.
A 62-year-old man got a mine blast injury while driving his car in Ocheretyne, a village some 12 kilometers northwest of Avdiivka, the area of the heaviest fighting. A 64-year-old woman and her 68-year-old husband got shrapnel wounds as a Russian round landed in their backyard in Niu-York, a village 20 kilometers north of Avdiivka.
Donetsk Oblast is experiencing the most severe battles of Russia’s war. Both Ocheretyne and Niu-York, located close to the front line, are frequent targets of Russian attacks.
The Prosecutor General’s Office didn’t specify the type of guided bombs Russian forces used in the attacks on the front'-line villages. Russia uses KAB “smart” bombs, ranging from the KAB-250 and KAB-500 to KAB-1500, which can be laser-guided or satellite-guided.
Following the attacks, Ukraine's Prosecutor General’s Office launched an investigation into violation of the laws and customs of war.
The acting regional governor, Ihor Moroz, reported on Dec. 24 that 1,796 civilians have been killed and 4,411 injured in the embattled region since Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The number excludes civilian casualties in Russian-occupied areas, including the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, as it is currently impossible to determine the exact number of victims.
Vitalii Poberezhnyi
