DONETSK, Russia – Explosions rocked Russia-occupied Donetsk late in the evening with occupation authorities claiming that four people were killed in an attack, according to a news portal report on Dec. 31. The shelling in the city began after midnight Moscow time. Videos posted by residents on social media captured the sounds of explosions.
The Donbas Palace Hotel in Donetsk took six hits overnight, where the Russian “elite” and Moscow guests were celebrating the New Year, said Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko. Denis Pushilin, leader of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) terrorist organization, accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of being behind the shelling.
Pushilin claimed that Donetsk’s city center, Kalininskyi, and Budonivskyi districts were targeted with multiple rocket launchers, resulting in four deaths and 13 injuries.
Russian “war correspondent” Andrei Medvedev initially reported injuries to Donetsk media representatives but later clarified that it was “war correspondents” from the propaganda agency Anna News who were injured.
Russia attacked several Ukrainian regions with Shahed kamikaze drones at night on Jan. 1. The Russians started deploying drone groups in the evening, and the air raids continued intermittently until morning. The main targets were the south and west of Ukraine.
Fragments from the drones hit residential buildings in Odesa – one person was killed, and nine injured. The Ukrainain Air Force repoted shooting down a record number of Russian strike drones – 87 out of 90 on New Year’s night.
In Lviv, two national landmarks were hit by the Russians: they destroyed the museum dedicated to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army General Roman Shukhevych and damaged the Lviv National Agrarian University in Dubliany.
In conclusion, explosions rocked Russia-occupied Donetsk, resulting in casualties and damages in the city. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues to escalate, with drone attacks and targeted destruction in various parts of Ukraine.