March 2022 Donetsk attack explained

March 2022 Donetsk attack
Partof:	the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Location:	Donetsk, Ukraine
Target:	Civilians in Donetsk
Date:	14 March 2022
Time:	11:31
Timezone:	UTC+3
Type:	Missile
Fatalities:	21^[1] -23^[2]
Injuries:	36 (per Russia)
Perpetrator:	Unknown

On 14 March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Tochka-U missile attack hit the center of Donetsk, Ukraine, at the time under Russian occupation and administration of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The Russian Investigative Committee reported that the attack killed 23 civilians, including children, and injured at least 18 people.^[3] The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that the attacked killed 15 civilians and injured 36 people.^[4] 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.^{[5] [6]}

Conflicting versions

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the missile was launched from the Pokrovsk Raion, 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, head of the self-proclaimed DPR, said that the missile carried a cluster munition warhead, which led to so many casualties, and claimed that the missile had been shot down by DPR defense systems.^[7]

Leonid Matyukhin, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian 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."^[8] In an interview on 15 March, Ruslan Leviev, founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team, said photos from the incident suggest the missile originated from Russian-controlled territory and was not shot down by DPR air defense systems.^{[9] [10]}

See also

• Maisky Market attack
• September 2022 Donetsk attack

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2022-05-11 . Intense and Lasting Harm: Cluster Munition Attacks in Ukraine . . 30 June 2022. en.
2. Web site: Russia claims 23 dead in missile attack on Donetsk, S Jaishankar to give statement on war in Parliament today. 15 March 2022. DNA India.
3. Web site: 2022-03-14 . Au moins 23 civils tués à Donetsk par une frappe ukrainienne, accuse Moscou . 2022-06-29 . LEFIGARO . fr.
4. The situation of human rights in Ukraine in the context of the armed attack by the Russian Federation, 24 February to 15 May 2022 . 29 June 2022 . . 9 August 2022 . para. 31.
5. Web site: 2022-03-14 . Russia accuses Kyiv of deadly missile attack on Donetsk . 2022-04-22 . the Guardian . en.
6. News: 2022-03-15 . Russia accuses Ukraine of missile strike on Donetsk which Ukraine denies . en . Reuters . 2022-06-29.
7. Web site: 2022-03-14 . Обстрел Донецка: десятки жертв и раненых . 2022-06-29 . euronews . ru.
8. Web site: 2022-03-14 . Guerra Russia-Ucraina, missile nel Donetsk: altro scambio d'accuse. I filorussi: "20 morti, opera di Kiev". Che replica: "È razzo di Mosca" . 2022-06-29 . Il Fatto Quotidiano . it-IT.
9. Web site: The missile strike on the centre of Donetsk was carried out from the territory of the Russian Federation - Conflict Intelligence Team . 2022-04-22 . Ukrayinska Pravda . en.
10. News: Inside Russia's propaganda bubble: Where a war isn't a war . en-US . Washington Post . 2022-06-29 . 0190-8286.