Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka residents clean up after Russian shelling

Russian attacks wounded one person and destroyed civilian infrastructure in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka on Thursday, according to the local military administration.

A resident said they woke up to the sound of explosions, adding, “I’m very scared the Russians will come here.”

A day after the assault, residents attempted to rebuild the town, located in the industrial Donetsk region, now riddled with broken glass windows and roofing. The attack left a multi-storey building and two cars destroyed.

Local authorities urged residents to leave the town for safer areas.

This is the second violent attack on Kostyantynivka in recent days. In September, Russian strikes on the industrial city claimed 17 lives and injured 32 others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the assault as a “heinous evil”.

Roughly 55 kilometres southwest of Kostyantynivka, citizens in Pokrovsk nailed up damaged windows and attempted to repair homes after two days of Russian attacks.

Around 80% of the city’s infrastructure was wiped out as a result of the assault, according to international media reports.

Russia dropped six bombs on Pokrovsk from 3—4 October, injuring four people and damaging multi-storey buildings, shops and other public infrastructure, regional police said. The authorities state roughly 13,000 people live in the city.

“We survived that night, it was a very scary night,” a resident, Olha, said. She added the bombs destroyed the roof and side of her house.

Another resident, Inna, said many in the community lost their homes. “The house is not suitable and there is no place for a person to return to,” she said.