The mayor of the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine claimed that two persons were killed and eight others were injured in Russian airstrikes on Saturday, accusing Moscow of using cluster bombs in the attack.
Oleksandr Goncharenko wrote on Facebook, “Russia continues to spread terror,” “Consequences of Kramatorsk bombardment with cluster bombs: two people were killed and eight were wounded, three of them seriously.”
Just before 4:00 pm local time (1400 GMT), AFP correspondents on the ground heard approximately ten explosions almost simultaneously and observed smoke above a park in the southern part of the city.
They witnessed a woman who was wounded and died on the spot.
A short while afterwards, a neighborhood two kilometers (one mile) distant heard further explosions. A female cab driver suffered severe injuries.
Lena, 46, stated, “She came to see me briefly. I told her good-bye, closed the door and a few seconds later, I heard the explosions,” adding that she was lucky to be inside with her daughter when all it happened.
Cluster bombs, which spread dozens of tiny explosives and frequently pose a threat long after a battle ends, are prohibited from use and transfer under a UN convention supported by the majority of Western nations.
The United Nations has voiced alarm over Moscow’s alleged use of cluster munitions in inhabited areas since it invaded Ukraine last year, despite the fact that Russia and Ukraine have not signed the treaty.
The attacks were the second time in a week that Kramatorsk had been targeted. A strike on residential premises on Tuesday resulted in one fatality and three injuries.
Kramatorsk is situated in the eastern industrial district of Donetsk, a region that has been under the authority of separatists backed by the Kremlin since 2014, including its biggest city.
One of the invasion’s bloodiest attacks on innocent civilians was in the death of almost 60 people in April 2022 when a missile struck the Kramatorsk train station.
After claiming the territory for Russia last year, Moscow has been attempting to seize control of the entire area.
