Russian strikes killed two people and wounded eight in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Saturday, the mayor said, accusing Moscow of using cluster bombs in the attack.
“Russia continues to spread terror,” Alexander Honcharenko said on Facebook. “The consequences of shelling Kramatorsk with cluster bombs: two people died and eight were injured, three of them seriously.”
AFP reporters on the ground heard around 10 explosions almost simultaneously shortly before 4pm local time (2pm GMT) and saw smoke over a park in the southern part of the city.
The woman died of her injuries at the scene, it was seen.
Shortly thereafter, another explosion was heard two kilometers (one mile) away from them. A female taxi driver was seriously injured, AFP journalists reported.
“She came to me for a short time. I said goodbye, closed the door and after a few seconds I heard explosions, – said 46-year-old Lena. – I was lucky to be inside with my daughter when all this happened. “
The UN treaty, which is supported by most Western countries, bans the use and transfer of cluster bombs, which release dozens of small explosives that often pose a threat after a conflict ends.
Russia and Ukraine have not signed the treaty, and the United Nations has expressed alarm over Moscow’s alleged use of cluster munitions in populated areas since invading Ukraine last year.
These strikes were the second blow to Kramatorsk in a week. On Tuesday, as a result of shelling of residential buildings, one person died and three were injured.
Kramatorsk is in the eastern industrial region of Donetsk, part of which, including the largest city, has been controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists since 2014.
In April 2022, a rocket attack on the Kramatorsk railway station killed around 60 people, one of the bloodiest attacks on civilians during the invasion.
Moscow is seeking to seize the entire region after declaring it part of Russia last year.