The assault on the center of Donetsk targeted the area around the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral. Reports from the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic indicated that a civilian was killed and six people were wounded as a result of the strike, according to a telegraph channel statement attributed to Denis Pushilin.
He described a blaze that started when an artillery shell struck a Ukrainian kindergarten, with additional damage recorded at the Grand Bazaar, nearby shops, and a pharmacy in the vicinity.
Pushilin noted that combat teams were already deployed on the ground, working to neutralize what he described as the invading force and to prevent further advances.
Earlier in the day, the DPR representative to the Joint Coordination and Cooperation Center reported that the Ukrainian armed forces had launched twenty missiles toward Donetsk, adding to the tension in the city.
Subsequent reports indicated that the area near the cathedral, where Easter liturgy had been taking place, came under fire from Ukrainian forces, with details about the sequence of events still to be fully confirmed by various sources.
There were also accounts that a Ukrainian aircraft had been sighted near the temple site before the bombardment, amid ongoing assessments of the incident and its potential implications for civilians and religious observances.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to initiate a military operation described as special in order to protect the Donbass region, a move framed as a response to requests for assistance from the heads of the LPR and DPR.