Donetsk (Ukraine): A first air strike hit the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk in east Ukraine on Wednesday, as government forces preparing to retake the city said 18 soldiers were killed in clashes with rebels. Kiev denied that it was behind the strike, which caused no civilian casualties, according to local authorities.
Ukrainian forces have been making advances over the past months and have been tightening their grip around million-strong Donetsk, where pro-Russian fighters have hunkered down and pledged to fight to the death. “The district of Kalininsky was hit overnight by an air strike… there were no civilian victims,” the city council said in a statement, adding that one bomb had left a four-metre wide and 1.5-metre deep hole in the road.
The site, located in a light industry area of warehouses, was seven kilometres east of central Donetsk and the regional administration headquarters, held by the rebels. (AFP)
