At least 17 people have been killed and more than twenty injured as a result of a Russian attack in eastern Ukraine. The target attacked this time was the central market of Kostiantinivka, in the province of Donetsk, as reported today by the Ukrainian public news agency, Ukrinform. In addition, several shops and a pharmacy have been affected as a result of the fire caused by the attack.
“The enemy reached the central market of Kostiantinivka, in the Donetsk region,” says the information, citing as a source the Military Administration of that area partially occupied by Russia, through which the front line passes. The city is located thirty kilometers from Bajmut, the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the attack through the Telegram messaging application. “This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,” Zelensky said.
The attack coincides with a surprise visit to Kyiv by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected to announce a new $1 billion aid package to the Ukrainian government.
The media learned unofficially the day before of the possible visit. The State Department, which he directs, did not want to comment on the rumours, the Evroipeiska Pravda newspaper explained. The Ukrainian press announced Wednesday morning that the head of US foreign policy was already in the Ukrainian capital. It is Blinken’s third trip to Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent the Russian Army against his neighboring country in February 2022.
The last of these trips occurred just a year ago. The Kyiv government received a visit from US President Joe Biden in February of this year in a gesture that underlined the US military, political and diplomatic commitment to Ukraine, as it coincided with the first year of the Russian intervention. in the country.
Blinken’s visit takes place in the midst of Kyiv’s counteroffensive to expel Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. It also occurs as part of preparations for the probable visit of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to the United States. On September 19, the Ukrainian leader could speak before the UN General Assembly in New York.
