Russian missile attack kills 11, including five children, at Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine

Pictures posted online show rescue squads sifting through large piles of smouldering rubble in the dark

A heavily-damaged community centre in the city of Pokrovsk, in eastern Ukraine. Photograph: Emile Ducke/The New York Times
A heavily-damaged community centre in the city of Pokrovsk, in eastern Ukraine. Photograph: Emile Ducke/The New York Times

A Russian missile strike killed 11 people on Saturday in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk region said.

“Eleven dead, including five children – these are the consequences for now of strikes on Pokrovsk district,” Vadym Filashkin wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Pictures posted online by the governor showed rescue squads sifting through large piles of smouldering rubble in the dark as well as a burned-out vehicle.

Mr Filashkin said S-300 missiles had been used in a series of Russian attacks, with the main strike hitting the town of Pokrovsk and nearby villages. He said the attack showed Russian forces were “trying to inflict as much grief as possible on our land”.

READ SOME MORE

Pokrovsk had been subject to Russian shelling on Friday. The town lies in Ukrainian-held territory, about 80km northwest of Donetsk, the Russian held centre of the region.