(MENAFN) At least four civilians were killed and four others injured on Friday when Ukrainian forces targeted Donetsk with US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, according to Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The attack reportedly involved rockets loaded with shrapnel munitions.

Pushilin stated that two men and two women lost their lives in the strike, while another woman suffered severe injuries and three others were moderately wounded.

RT’s correspondent Viktor Miroshnik reported from the scene that the victims had been traveling along a local road at the time of the attack. Footage obtained by RT shows debris and missile fragments scattered across the road, alongside damaged buildings, fences, and trees. A car with a shattered windshield from shrapnel damage is visible, with the victims’ bodies lying nearby.

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly launched strikes on Donbass and other Russian border regions. Earlier this week, one person was killed and three more wounded in a series of missile and drone attacks on the DPR. Those attacks caused fires and significant damage to civilian infrastructure, including a market, department store, and bank.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry previously accused Kiev of intentionally targeting civilians in Donbass, describing such actions as part of a deliberate policy.

The DPR and its counterpart, the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), declared independence after Ukraine’s 2014 Western-backed coup. Following Ukraine’s refusal to implement the Minsk Agreements and ongoing shelling of civilian areas, Russia launched its military operation in February 2022. In autumn 2022, the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions formally joined Russia after holding referendums.

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