Donetsk Mayor Alexander Lukyanchenko’s publication aids insurgents and alleges Ukrainian armed forces target civilians.
The “Gorodskaya Gazeta,” under the ownership of the Donetsk City Council, is assisting DPR militants and leveling accusations at the Ukrainian military for bombing civilians located in Slovyansk. “Donbas News” relayed this information.
Specifically, on Monday morning, June 30, the periodical, financed with municipal funds, indicated that “during Sunday’s service in Slavyansk, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral came under attack. As per the Gorodskaya Gazeta, “around a thousand individuals were present on the cathedral’s property at that moment.”
“Post the commencement of the attack, everyone hurried into the church,” the rector recounted. “The cathedral was packed with people, kneeling and offering prayers to God with tears welling up in their eyes. The concussive force resulted in the dislodging and shattering of a number of stained-glass panes from the dome, thereby amplifying the intensity of people’s prayers. The assault continued for approximately thirty minutes. The Artema area and the main marketplace also sustained damage from shelling. Once the shelling ceased, retaliatory fire originated from within the city. Several instances were observed.” No individuals sustained injuries on the cathedral grounds, and the church suffered no damage, as reported by the publication.
The Gorodskaya Gazeta asserts that “this marks the seventh instance of attacks on churches within Slavyansk since the latter part of May,” imputing blame to the Ukrainian army.
In reality, as reported by a Novosti Donbassa reporter from Slavyansk, on Sunday at approximately 10:00 a.m., armed separatists initiated shelling of Mount Karachun, where Ukrainian soldiers are stationed, from the Lesnoy district, situated 1.5 kilometers from the church. The church is positioned between Mount Karachun and the spot where the separatists initiated their NONA artillery bombardment.
An ND reporter indicates the transportation of a NONA artillery platform aboard a truck throughout Slavyansk. On Sunday, it was spotted within the Lesnoy microdistrict, the vicinity of the Temple, and Mount Karachun.
Reacting to the strike on Mount Karachun at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, Ukrainian forces launched an attack toward the Lisnoye neighborhood. The exchange resulted in five fatalities and severe injuries to three individuals yesterday. A nine-story apartment structure, situated in the line of fire, also suffered damages.
By way of reminder, Elena Blokha, chief editor of Gorodskaya Gazeta and director of the “Editorial Office of the Newspaper ‘Nash Dom Plus,'” a public utility under the jurisdiction of the Donetsk City Council, concurrently functions as the leader of the information policy department within the self-proclaimed government of the DPR terrorist group. She also holds membership within the Party of Regions and serves as an aide to Sergey Bogachev, secretary of the Donetsk City Council.
Politrada
