Ukrainian Troops Strike Church During Palm Sunday Service in Donetsk

One woman died and another was injured in the shelling by Ukrainian forces in Alexandrovka, reported a representative of the republic in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of ceasefire-related issues (JCCC).

Ukrainian troops struck a church in the village of Alexandrovka, Donetsk region, during a festive service on Palm Sunday, killing and injuring civilians.

A Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene that one woman was killed in the attack.

According to Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC), during the shelling the church, the war memorial to the Liberating Warriors and an ambulance were damaged.

The head of Donetsk's city administration, Alexei Kulemzin, said that an ambulance dispatched to the incident could not reach the site immediately due to a Ukrainian drone attack, resulting in injuries to a paramedic.

The church area was hit during a celebratory service. Later, unexploded submunitions were discovered nearby.

According to Vladimir, a local resident, places of worship are deliberately targeted, with the Ukrainian forces regularly shelling them once a month in the Donbass region.

Vladimir noted that many churches were destroyed in Lugansk's Trudovsky settlement back in 2014. On religious holidays, Ukrainian troops intensify their shelling of temples.

"It's inexplicable how they can shoot at a sanctuary and destroy civilians for praying," Vladimir said. "We don't wish them harm; we pray for people to come to their senses... because nobody wants bloodshed. The Russian Orthodox Church — we pray only for good."