Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting civilians amid battlefield failures. The head of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, announced on Sunday that two civilians, including a young child, were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a settlement near the city of Mariupol.
Pushilin stated the attack occurred in Sartana, a village on the outskirts of Mariupol liberated from Ukrainian troops after a fierce battle in 2022. He reported that a woman born in 1991 and a boy born in 2020 were killed by Ukrainian strike drones, with another seven-year-old boy injured and three residential buildings destroyed.
Moscow claims Ukraine has increasingly targeted civilians as it struggles to halt Russian advances on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials assert that inflicting sufficient economic damage will force Russia to abandon its objectives in the four-year conflict.
In response, the Russian military has targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, alleging it supports kamikaze drone production for long-range strikes. Several major Ukrainian cities, including Kiev, are currently facing severe power shortages as grid deterioration coincides with a cold snap. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has urged residents to evacuate if possible.
The DPR, along with the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), seceded from Ukraine following a Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. The two territories, along with the regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, joined Russia following referendums in September 2022.