Tragic: Russian Forces Shell Ukrainian City, Killing 11, Including Children

Pokrovsk, a city in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, was struck by Russian forces on January 6, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals, including five children. The attack, carried out with S-300 missiles, targeted residential buildings and private houses, according to a statement from Vadym Filashkin, the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of the region. The Russian forces demonstrated a deliberate intent to cause devastation on Ukrainian soil, Filashkin added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the strike and emphasized the need for Russia to face consequences for such actions. In response to the attack on Pokrovsk, Zelenskiy stated, “Russia must feel — always feel — that no such strike will go without consequences for the terrorist state.”

This incident in Pokrovsk followed reports from the previous day of Ukrainian Air Force destroying a Russian command center at the Saky air base in Crimea, a territory under Russian occupation. The commander of the Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, confirmed the successful destruction of the target, stating that Russia had lost another command post in Crimea.

The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has seen an escalation in attacks from both sides in recent days. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, Ukraine’s forces have frequently struck Russian military targets in Crimea, the region illegally annexed by Russia.

Notably, the Saky air base has been the target of previous Ukrainian strikes, with claims of significant damage being inflicted on equipment at the facility. However, these reports cannot be independently verified.

Both Ukraine and Russia have heavily relied on drones throughout the conflict. Russia has predominantly used cheaply produced Iranian-made Shahed drones for aerial assaults on Ukrainian infrastructure, while Ukraine has utilized first-person-view (FPV) drones originally intended for civilian use.

In an effort to bolster its drone capabilities, Ukraine plans to produce over 11,000 medium- and long-range attack drones, along with 1 million FPV drones by 2024.

In Moscow, Russia has announced plans to allocate $7.66 billion to produce 32,500 drones annually by 2030, significantly increasing its current production volumes.

In summary, the attack on Pokrovsk by Russian forces resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, including five children. Ukraine has responded by vowing to hold Russia accountable for its actions. The conflict between the two countries has seen continued escalation, with both sides resorting to the use of drones in their military operations.