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At least 16 people including a child were killed and many wounded after Russia shelled a busy market in Donetsk.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed and condemned the attack on Twitter, saying a market, shops and a pharmacy had been struck in the industrial city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine.
Located close to the frontlines, Kostiantynivka is only about 30 km (19 miles) from the city of Bakhmut, where fighting has been heavy for months.
Ukrainian officials posted a video on the Telegram messaging app which showed a loud explosion ripping through shopping alleys, with people falling to the ground and some running for cover. Local media described it as a missile attack.
‘This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,’ Zelensky said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said that in addition to the 16 killed, at least 28 people were wounded in the attack and said it was on the central city market.
On the Telegram messaging app he posted pictures showing rescue workers sifting through the rubble and carrying out bodies in black sacks.
Emergency service workers extinguished the fire that damaged about 30 pavilions at the outdoor market, Mr Klymenko said.
Emergency members work following an attack on the city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine (Picture: Reuters)
Ukrainian soldiers move an injured woman to an ambulance after shells hit the bustling market (Picture: AP)
The attack came as US secretary of state Antony Blinken visited Ukraine’s capital, where he was expected to announce more than one billion dollars in new American funding in a display of Washington’s unflagging support for Kyiv’s fight.
Mr Blinken also aimed to assess Ukraine’s three-month-old counter-offensive and signal continued US backing as some western allies express worries about Kyiv’s slow progress in driving out Russian forces after 18 months of war, according to US officials.
‘We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counter-offensive but has what it needs for the long term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,’ Mr Blinken said during the visit.
‘We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy.’
Police officers and rescuers carry the body of a person killed by the Russian artillery strike (Picture: Reuters)
Mr Blinken was set to pledge more than one billion dollars in new US funding, a senior State Department official said.
The money would be for ‘a range’ of investments, the official said, without elaborating.
Other issues, including support for Ukraine’s war-torn economy were to be discussed, building on Mr Blinken’s announcement in London in June of 1.3 billion dollars in aid to help Kyiv rebuild, with a focus on modernising its energy network, which was bombarded by Russia last winter.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that US assistance to Ukraine ‘can’t influence the course of the special military operation’ – Moscow’s euphemism for the war.
Mr Blinken arrived in Kyiv for an overnight visit hours after Russia launched a missile attack on the city. He was expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials to discuss the ongoing counter-offensive and reconstruction efforts.
In the Odesa region, one person was killed in a Russian missile and drone attack on the port of Izmail that damaged grain elevators, administrative buildings and agricultural enterprises, authorities said.
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