Ukrainian "Tochka" kills 20 civilians in Donetsk .. Video

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Monday a strike by Kyiv forces killed at least 16 people, as a fourth round of negotiations to end the war took place.

Separatist officials said that shrapnel from a Ukrainian "Tochka" missile was dropped in the center of the city, which is the de facto capital of the rebels, killing more than a dozen people and injuring a number of others.

"Sixteen deaths were recorded," the district health ministry said, adding that 23 others were wounded.

And the separatist authorities had previously announced the killing of 20 people.

4. This is what it looks like when it's for real and the target is civilians.

Ukrainian Tochka U has just hit the center of Donetsk.

20 civilians are reported dead.

#Ukraine #crisis #Donbass pic.twitter.com/CpCZrZvNim

— Bonanza Media (@bonanzamedia2) March 14, 2022

The official separatist channels on Telegram published pictures and videos of the aftermath of the incident, which showed charred cars and corpses scattered in the street and damage to shops.

AFP was not able to independently verify the toll issued by the authorities in the region, which has been controlled by pro-Moscow rebels since 2014.

In an interview with the official Russian TV channel, the leader of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic", Denis Pushilin, stated that the downed missile caused damage to residential areas and confirmed civilian deaths.

"People were standing in line near an automated teller machine and at a bus stop," Russia 24 reported.

"Among the dead were children," he added, noting that the death toll would have been higher had the missile not been shot down.

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