At least four civilians were injured and a shopping mall was destroyed in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) following a Ukrainian drone strike on Saturday night, local authorities said.
As per the DPR’s Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC), the Sigma shopping centre, which is located along the Slaviansk–Donetsk–Mariupol highway, was struck by the Ukrainian Kamikaze drones around 10:24 pm local time.
The drone attack set off a massive blaze that engulfed the structure. Officials stated that the fire spread rapidly throughout the building, resulting in the collapse of the roof and internal support structures. The eyewitnesses said the entire hypermarket “almost entirely burnt down” in the incident.
Rescue and emergency services were dispatched to douse the flames and restrict the fire from spreading to nearby commercial infrastructure. The JCCC said there were no casualties reported at the site.
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Besides, there were drone attacks reported in two other Russian cities, including Gorlovka and Makeevka.
Officials said at least four were injured, one critically, when a drone struck a passenger bus. Several residential buildings, cars, and a kindergarten were also damaged in subsequent attacks.
Russian authorities have accused Ukrainian forces of targeting civilians, while Ukrainian forces said the attacks were aimed at Russian armed forces.
Meanwhile, the Russian authorities have launched an investigation to determine the type of ammunition used by Ukrainians that led to the quick burning down of the massive commercial structure. Moscow has described such actions as “terrorist attacks” and warned of retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian military installations.
Also Read: Russia's drone strikes cause blackout in Kyiv
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