Heavy shelling hit residential neighbourhoods in Ukraine’s rebel stronghold of Donetsk and government forces fought street battles in other towns on Wednesday as they sought to crush a four-month-old separatist rebellion.
The forces of the Western-backed Kiev government are steadily gaining the upper hand over the separatists in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine and are tightening the noose around the main rebel bastions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“The Ukrainian army or whoever they are – they’re bombing us again. I’ve lived in the apartment building my entire life and now they want to take everything I have. There is nothing left to lose here in this city,” said Nina, 52.
The Donetsk city administration, controlled by the separatists, said nine residents had been killed in shelling on Wednesday. The Ukrainian government denies that its forces are targeting civilian areas.
Another nine people, pro-Ukrainian volunteer fighters supporting Kiev’s forces, were killed overnight in separate clashes near Donetsk, Ukrainian officials said.
The government in Kiev and its allies have accused Moscow of orchestrating the separatist rebellion and equipping the rebels with tanks, missiles and other heavy weaponry.
Moscow denies this and accuses Kiev of waging a war against its own people and shelling civilians.