Donetsk, Jul 20 — DAN. A civilian has been killed in Gorlovka as Ukrainian forces launch an artillery strike on the town, the DPR Territorial Defence said.

“Ukrainian militants launched a massive artillery barrage of Gorlovka, a number of buildings have been destroyed in the Central district, a civilian has been killed in the township of Rumyantsevo,” the report reads.

Ukrainian forces also targeted Donetsk and Yasinovataya on Wednesday morning.

Russia started a special military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the decision had been made after the DPR and LPR Heads addressed him asking for help.

The Russian leader said that Moscow is not planning to occupy Ukrainian territory, the only goal is to protect people who have been continuously shelled and subjected to other forms of genocide by Ukraine for eight years. *ot