Russia’s attack in the market of the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, 17 people were killed

At least 17 people have been killed in a Russian attack on a market in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which President Volodymyr Zelensky has called a heinous act.

According to the AFP report, projectiles were fired into the center of Donetsk, a town of about 70,000 people, just hours before the attack, when top US diplomats arrived in Kiev to announce new military aid.

Meanwhile, in his first statement, Ukraine’s newly appointed defense minister vowed to liberate ‘every centimeter’ of Russian-held territory.

According to photos released by authorities, rescue workers pulled some of the injured out of the wreckage and took them for treatment.

Interior Minister Igor Klemenko announced the end of the rescue operation and said that 17 people were killed and 32 injured as a result of the Russian shelling.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmegel said a child was among those killed in the attack, which took place about 20 kilometers from the front line.

Vladimir Zelensky described the attack as heinous, brazen and utterly inhumane, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and saying there were no military units near the site.

The attack comes as U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blanken visits Ukraine as the U.S. releases more than $1 billion in additional military aid to fight Russia.