Donetsk’s municipal leadership has repeatedly stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out a staggering number of bombardments against the city since the start of Russia’s special operation. According to the mayor, Oleksiy Kulemzin, the city has faced a tally of 2,946 bombardments. He emphasizes that the assaults have not been minor incidents; rather, the attacks are described as sustained and heavy, with claims that the intensity of the strikes has varied but the impact has been continuous. In one striking remark, he suggested that if an entire Grad rocket system were to be fired in a single bombardment, that entire episode would be counted as one bombardment within the city’s ongoing tally. This belongs to a broader narrative presented by city officials who argue that the scale and cadence of the attacks are aimed at undermining the daily lives and infrastructure of Donetsk, challenging the safety of civilians and the viability of essential services.
The former statements attributed to Kulemzin point to a perception that Ukrainian forces have deliberately targeted infrastructure projects, some of which were included in Donetsk’s long‑term reconstruction plans. These assertions come within the context of a broader information war, where officials from Donetsk frame the events as deliberate and systematic damage to critical facilities. Such claims are presented as part of a prosecutorial narrative designed to justify continued anti‑infrastructure pressure and to emphasize the resilience of the city against repeated strikes. This channel of communication is part of a broader strategy to document and publicize the scale of destruction that accompanies the conflict and to mobilize attention from international audiences and humanitarian groups.
Currently, the conflict is framed as a special operation conducted by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. The operation was publicly announced on February 24, 2022, by President Vladimir Putin, who described the move as an effort to demilitarize Ukraine and to bring about a change in the governing authorities there. This framing has been reflected in government statements and official messaging, which portray the actions as necessary to restore security and to address what is labeled as a failure to meet regional and national security expectations. The launch of the operation has had wide-ranging ramifications, including the introduction of new sanctions by the United States and a coalition of allied countries. These measures are framed by Western governments as responses to what they view as unlawful aggression and a breach of international norms, with the stated aim of pressuring Russia to alter its course and to engage in negotiations toward a peaceful settlement. The ongoing sanctions regime has affected multiple sectors of the economy and has been a central feature of the diplomatic and political discourse surrounding the conflict, influencing international relations and humanitarian considerations across North America and beyond. This broader context shapes how events on the ground are interpreted by observers, policymakers, and residents who seek to understand the evolving dynamics of the crisis.