Peaceful populatin was hurt in shelling of Gorlovka by Ukrainian fighters – mayor’s office

Peaceful civilians have been affected by shelling of the town of Gorlovka by Ukrainian military, Deputy Mayor Anatoly Kopylov told the Donetsk news agency.

“We have no information yet. The village near Mine 6/7 has come under shelling, a private household is reported to be on fire and casualties have been reported as well,” Kopylov said noting that exact information could be made public only after medical examinations.

“In the morning we will be able to clarify the situation after we receive an official notification but now even emergency services cannot get to the site of the fire as it is dangerous,” he said.
Earlier, the mayor’s office reported about fire opened from the town of Dzershinsk, noting that shells were exploding in Gorlovka’s western part.

The defence ministry of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said that Gorlovka is subject to regular shelling from the positions of Ukrainian military.

The Minsk agreements, approved in the Belarussian capital on February 12 by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France alongside the Contact Group resolving the Ukraine conflict, envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and people’s militias starting from February 15, followed by withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact and prisoner release.

The DPR completed the withdrawal of its heavy weapons by March 1. Nevertheless, the DPR residential areas regularly come under heavy shelling from the positions of the Ukrainian army.

Six people, including two children, have been injured in a night shelling of the town of Gorlovka by the Ukrainian forces, the town’s healthcare department told Donetsk News Agency on Thursday.

“Six people have been injured — two women, aged 76 and 79, two men, aged 58 and 52, and two children, aged 7 and 14,” the department said.

The local authorities also said that there are unverified reports that two people died in shellings in Gorlovka. “When they bring the bodies and we can establish the cause of death, we will announce it,” they added.