Dozens of civilians killed by artillery fire in eastern Ukraine

Dozens of civilians have been killed by artillery fire in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, according to local authorities.

Since December 2, 22 civilians have been killed and 60 injured in the Russian-controlled part of Donetsk, Russian authorities in Donetsk said on Friday. The centre of the city in particular has come under fire in recent days. Currently, more than 50% of the area is under Russian control.

Independent confirmation of the deaths was not possible. The United Nations had repeatedly complained that it no longer has access to the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.

At the same time, according to the authorities, at least 16 civilians have been killed and 40 injured in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the territory.

According to UN figures, more than 6,700 civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion at the end of February. Like Kiev, however, the UN assumes that the number of victims is much higher.