According to reports, 11 people were killed—including 5 children—in Russian air strikes on an eastern Ukrainian town on March 15th, 2019. The incident occurred in the town of Shaktarsk, located close to the epicenter of Ukraine’s military conflict with Russia-backed separatists which has been going on for five years. Reports indicate that the area was heavily shelled, and the homes of numerous locals were destroyed in the air drops.
International condemnation of the attack has been widespread. The United Nations has strongly denounced the strikes and called for a “desperately needed de-escalation of the conflict”. Meanwhile, NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have both issued strongly worded statements that have condemned the deadly attack and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The incident has further strained the already tense relations between Russia and Ukraine, with the Ukrainian President Poroshenko calling for “an end to the aggression and immediate steps to withdraw the occupying forces”. He also called on the international community to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia until it pulls out its forces from the eastern regions of Ukraine.
