Camilla Jessen
A deadly Russian airstrike has struck a busy Ukrainian market, leaving death and destruction in its wake.
At least two people were killed and 27 others injured when a 500-kilogram Russian aerial bomb struck a marketplace and shopping area in Dobropillia, a town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, on Wednesday evening.
The airstrike caused widespread destruction, damaging infrastructure and destroying more than 300 homes.
According to regional governor Vadim Filaşkin, the bomb hit the area at 5:20 p.m. local time, a busy hour when the market was full of shoppers.
“No Military Logic”
In his Wednesday night address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling it:
“Simply horrible… It has no military logic.”
Zelensky emphasized that this was another deliberate strike on civilians, adding that the Russians had intentionally targeted a densely populated area.
Russia has not issued any public comment on the incident.
A Town Under Fire
Dobropillia, located 20 kilometers from the front line and northeast of Pokrovsk—a key target in Russia’s slow advance—is no stranger to attacks.
Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, the town has repeatedly been bombarded.
In March 2025, a missile and drone attack killed 11 people, including five children.
Wednesday’s bombing comes amid a spike in Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. According to the United Nations, over 230 civilians were killed in June alone, which is the highest monthly toll in the war’s third year.
The bombing occurred while U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg was in Kyiv for meetings with President Zelensky to discuss continued U.S.-Ukraine cooperation. The timing of the strike is seen as a deliberate message from Moscow.
