Five Civilians Killed as Ukraine Military Attacks Rebel City of Donetsk

President Tells Military Not to Attacks Rebels Close to Plane Crash

At least five civilians were killed and another 12 wounded today in Donetsk as the Ukrainian military shelled the major rebel city, and launched a full-scale offensive against the area around the train station.

The attack damaged an electricity substation, further disputing the city’s hit-or-miss energy supply, while the transportation network was disrupted, though city officials said it would soon be restored.

Donetsk is the largest city in the rebel-held east of the country, and has been regularly targeted by the Ukrainian military, which has been ordered to cleanse the region of “parasites.”

President Petro Poroshenko has ordered the military to continue its offensive, but has ordered them not to attack the rebels near the MH17 plane crash site, apparently hoping to keep the pretense of violent rebels against a peaceful government alive, at least in the immediate vicinity of the international press.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.