An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office building in Donetsk was hit by shelling this week as the war in Ukraine continues for a 10th month, according to officials.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the ICRC for comment on the extent of the damage caused or which party is believed to have carried out the strike, although no deaths or injuries were reported in Monday’s attack.
“The shell, which fell in the courtyard of the ICRC office in Donetsk on Monday night, was the third incident affecting the Red Cross family in general in recent days,” the ICRC said in a statement.
Red Cross workers embrace after a resupply mission to homebound residents in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 22, 2022.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
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On Sunday, two people were killed and several others injured after an ICRC-supported hospital in Donetsk was also hit by an attack.
A volunteer from the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team in Kherson was also killed in shelling last week, the statement added.
“The ICRC strongly condemns the effects of the hostilities on our office and calls for respect for the humanitarian space,” the ICRC said. “Under international humanitarian law, parties have an obligation to take all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians and damaging civilian objects, including humanitarian facilities.”
Red Cross workers load supplies into a vehicle before going on a mission in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 24, 2022.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
Fox News could not immediately confirm the location of the attack on Monday, although Russian state media reported that the attack occurred in the Kalinins’kyi district of the city of Donestk, located in the heart of the region.
The UK Defense Ministry assessed on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces have repelled Russian troops and pushed the front lines further east, towards the regional capital.
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Heavy fighting continues around the village of Pisky, approximately six miles from the city of Donetsk, in what is considered “disputed territory”.
The city of Donetsk is located in the Donbas region, where the self-declared and Russian-backed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been engaged in armed conflict with the Ukrainian government since 2014.
Red Cross workers arrive to deliver aid to residents in eastern Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 23, 2022.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
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In the run-up to his invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as “independent” of Kyiv before annexing Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in September.
If Ukrainian troops can repel Russian forces back to the city of Donetsk, it will be the first time they have gained strength across Donbas lines since the war began 10 months ago.
