Donetsk, 26/8 – Russian-appointed officials claim Ukraine launched a barrage of storm shadow cruise missiles at Donetsk city today, resulting in multiple explosions and injuries to civilians. Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed leader in Donetsk province, reported that the provincial capital was attacked in broad daylight. He specified that a series of storm shadow cruise missiles targeted the Donetsk City shopping and entertainment center in the Kievsky district, injuring 8 civilians.
The attacks caused further casualties and widespread damage. In Petrovsky district, one person sustained injuries from an activated explosive device. Two additional individuals were wounded in other locations within Donetsk province. Pushilin stated that a total of 8 residential buildings, 11 civilian infrastructure facilities, and numerous automobiles were damaged across Donetsk city and its surrounding area.
Open-source intelligence suggests a coordinated missile strike. AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in open-source intelligence on the Ukraine conflict, indicated that Ukraine likely used flamingo and storm shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles in a synchronized attack on two distinct targets within Donetsk city.
According to AMK Mapping, at least 6 missiles struck the underground parking area of a residential complex under construction, while 7 missiles hit an industrial building. Ukrainian media channels allege that these sites served as storage for significant quantities of military equipment, including rocket launchers and armored vehicles, and also functioned as troop deployment locations. The pro-Ukraine X account Exilenova+ suggested one of the targeted locations might have housed the command post of Russia's 51st Army.
Beyond storm shadow and flamingo missiles, other weapon types may have been deployed. Archer83Able, an open-source data analysis account on social media, shared a video showing folded wings among the debris. These wings are typically found on glide bombs and long-range jet-powered weapons.
Archer83Able noted that this component differs from storm shadow/SCALP-EG missile parts. The account also pointed out that Ukrainian fighter jets cannot deliver GBU-62 or GBU-39/B glide bombs to Donetsk city from a safe distance. Therefore, it is believed this debris could be from an extended range attack munition (ERAM) or a US-made AGM-158A JASSM cruise missile.
The Ukrainian military has not yet issued a comment regarding the alleged attacks.
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Building destroyed after Ukraine's attack on Donetsk on 26/8. Photo: Reuters |
Donetsk is one of four provinces Russia claimed to have annexed in 2022, along with Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. The US-based Institute for the Study of War reports that Russia currently controls approximately 21,170 km2 of Donetsk province's territory, nearly 80% of its total area.
A related development saw Prime Minister Andy Burnham announce an agreement during a visit to Kyiv earlier this week. This accord grants Ukraine access to classified information regarding UK-made components within storm shadow missiles, potentially enabling the country to develop its own domestic version for the conflict.
By Pham Giang (Based on Shelter, TASS, RT)
