“This strike will not go unanswered. Russia is trying to destroy all life in Donbas, and a response from the world is a must. A forceful response — exactly as the Russians deserve for all the deaths they have brought,” Zelenskyy added.
In an interview Thursday, U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio said that currently “there does not seem to be any prospect of a negotiated settlement … as the Russians are making a condition of full control of Donetsk, which Ukraine rejects as unacceptable.”
Russia has claimed that a key objective of its invasion is to save the Russian-speakers of Donbas from “genocide conducted by Ukraine,” with President Vladimir Putin saying on Oct. 1 his country would “liberate” Donbas much sooner than Ukraine expects. Moscow has so far issued no statement on the latest strike, but has repeatedly denied targeting Ukrainian civilians.
This latest strike comes just a day after Russia’s missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky killed 22 and injured more than 50. Since August, Moscow has launched a wave of retaliatory attacks in response to Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries and marketplaces.