Russian troops shelled a residential area in the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 31, killing two, including a 12-year-old boy, and injuring at least five more people, Prosecutor General’s Office reported. The exact number of victims is being clarified.
The artillery attack damaged shops, pharmacies, and other buildings, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Earlier on the day, Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said that Russian forces had injured three civilians in Kostiantynivka, Kurakhove, and Bakhmut.
Russia has attacked Bakhmut continuously for over five months in its effort to occupy the entirety of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
Capturing Bakhmut would allow Russia to disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines in the area and open up a main road leading to the two key Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
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