MOSCOW: Ukrainian shelling killed six people and wounded nearly a dozen in the eastern city of Donetsk which is under the control of Russian forces, a senior Moscow-appointed official said Tuesday.
Donetsk has been controlled by Russian forces since 2014 and authorities routinely accuse Ukraine of deadly attacks on the city, claims that cannot be independently verified.
“Six people were killed and 11 wounded. Medical assistance is being provided to all the injured,” Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-backed head of the region said on social media.
He said Ukrainian forces had fired long-range missiles provided last year by the United States, striking “civilian infrastructure” and official buildings.
Donetsk’s Kremlin-backed mayor had earlier said that a building linked with the Labour and Social Protection service was hit, leading to six deaths.
Russian occupation authorities released images showing emergency services at the scene of a building whose roof had caved in and which was surrounded by debris.
The Kremlin claimed to have annexed the industrial region of Donetsk last year along with three other Ukrainian regions, which Moscow’s forces do not fully control.
Shelling kills six in Russian occupied city: Moscow
https://arab.news/vfujq
Shelling kills six in Russian occupied city: Moscow
- “Six people were killed and 11 wounded,” Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-backed head of the region said
- Ukrainian forces had fired long-range missiles provided last year by the United States, striking “civilian infrastructure”
Kyrgyzstan parliament speaker resigns after spy chief sacking
- Japarov is seeking re-election next year in a country that was once a regional leader in terms of openness
BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan’s parliament speaker said Thursday he would step down, two days after President Sadyr Japarov dismissed the Central Asian country’s powerful secret service chief and arrested political figures who called for early elections.
In a surprise move, Japarov had sacked his one-time close ally — spy chief Kamchybek Tashiev — in a decision Bishkek said was meant to “prevent division in society.”
Japarov is seeking re-election next year in a country that was once a regional leader in terms of openness, though marked by political volatility.
Rights groups have accused him of authoritarian tendencies, as he seeks to assert his control and cast himself as a bringer of stability.
Speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu — close to the sacked security boss — told MPs he would step down, insisting that he was not resigning under pressure.
“Reforms initiated by the president must be carried out. Political stability is indispensable,” he said.
Kyrgyzstan has in recent years been de-facto governed by the Japarov-Tashiev tandem.
Both came to power in the wake of the 2020 revolution — the third since Bishkek gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Several NGOs have in recent months denounced the deterioration of freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan.
Japarov had unexpectedly sacked Tashiev and three of his deputies on Tuesday, also weakening the powers of the secret services.
Japarov rarely speaks publicly. His spokesman had said the decision was taken “in the interests of the state, with the aim of preventing divisions within society, including between government structures, and to strengthen unity.”
Tashiev was in Germany for health treatment when the sacking was announced and had said it was a “total surprise” to him.
The decision came the day after the publication of an open letter from 75 political figures and ex-officials calling to bring forward presidential elections — scheduled for January 2027.
Five of those who signed the letter — which criticized the economic situation in the country — were arrested Wednesday on charges of organizing mass riots.
