On 14 March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a

Tochka-U OTR-21 ''Tochka'' (russian: оперативно-тактический ракетный комплекс (ОТР) «Точка» (" point"); en, Tactical Operational Missile Complex "Tochka") is a Soviet tactical ballistic missile. Its GRAU des ...

missile attack hit the center of

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...

, Ukraine, at the time under Russian occupation and administration of the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a disputed en ...

(DPR). The Russian Investigative Committee reported that the attack killed 23 civilians, including children, and injured at least 18 people. The

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...

reported that the attacked killed 15 civilians and injured 36 people. Ukraine claimed that the rocket had been fired by the Russians, while Russia and the DPR claimed that the attack was carried out by Ukrainian forces. As of 14 March, neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian claims could be independently verified.

Conflicting versions

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the missile was launched from the

Pokrovsk Raion Pokrovsk Raion ( uk, Покровський район, Pokrovskyi raion; russian: Покровский район, Pokrovsky rayon), is a raion (district) within Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Its capital city, administrative center is Pokrov ...

, controlled by the Ukrainian forces. The Russian Ministry also claimed that "the use of such weapons against a city where there is no armed forces firing position is a war crime."

Denis Pushilin Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin (russian: Дени́с Влади́мирович Пуши́лин, ; uk, Денис Володимирович Пушилін, Denys Volodymyrovych Pushylin; born 9 May 1981) is a Russian and Ukrainian politician ...

, head of the self-proclaimed DPR, said that the missile carried a

cluster munition A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehic ...

warhead, which led to so many casualties, and claimed that the missile had been shot down by DPR defense systems. Leonid Matyukhin, a spokesperson for the Ukraine Military, said that the missile, which carried a shrapnel warhead, was a Russian rocket. "It is unmistakably a Russian rocket or another munition; there's not even any point talking about it." In an interview on 15 March, Ruslan Leviev, founder of the

Conflict Intelligence Team The Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) is an independent investigative organisation originating from Russia that conducts an open-source investigation of events taking place during armed conflicts, in particular, the actions of Russian troops in Uk ...

, said photos from the incident suggest the missile originated from Russian-controlled territory and was not shot down by DPR air defense systems.

Gallery

File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 0-27.png File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 0-32.png File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 0-39.png File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 1-24.png File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 2-54.png File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 2-55.png File:Donetsk rocket attack, 2022-03-14 3-58.png

References

{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine March 2022 events in Ukraine

History of Donetsk Attacks on buildings and structures in 2022 Airstrikes during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022 controversies War crimes during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine 21st-century mass murder in Ukraine Mass murder in 2022

Conflicting versions

Gallery

See also

References