SNIZHNE, Ukraine (AP) — Regional officials in eastern Ukraine say at least 11 civilians have died after an airstrike demolished an apartment block in a town held by rebels.
The ruins of the building bore signs of an attack by several missiles that struck in two separate spots.
Government officials denied claims by local residents that the strike was carried out by Ukraine’s air force, but they didn’t say whom they blame. Rebel forces aren’t known to have access to airpower.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry insists the bombing couldn’t have been carried out by the air force, since none of its planes were on missions at the time. A Security Council spokesman says the attack was aimed at discrediting the armed forces.
But a rebel commander at the scene says local citizens saw the plane that carried out the attack, and that it “had Ukrainian markings.”
Hundreds of civilians are believed to have been killed during the months of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia insurgents. Separatists in the city of Luhansk say 12 more civilians were killed yesterday evening in rocket attacks and airstrikes, but it hasn’t been possible to verify those claims.
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APPHOTO XDL103: Rescue workers remove debris at a collapsed apartment after an airstrike in Snizhne, 100 kms east from the city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine Tuesday, July 15, 2014. The airstrike demolished an apartment block in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least nine civilians, rescue workers said. The attack adds to the steadily growing number of civilians killed over four months in a dogged pro-Russian insurgency. Government officials denied the Tuesday strike was carried out by Ukraine’s air force. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (15 Jul 2014)
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