The number of wounded as a result of the rocket shelling of the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region has risen to 67, as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine on the morning of August 8.
The primary target of Russian forces was to "kill civilians in Pokrovsk," and the subsequent strike was aimed at workers and services involved in addressing the aftermath of the attack, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
According to the local official, police officers and rescuers were among those affected by the rocket strike. In total, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as of the morning of August 8, 7 people were killed, 67 were wounded, including 29 police officers, 7 rescuers, and 2 children.
Kyrylenko stated that among the "severely" wounded are a police officer and an emergency responder. Medical teams from a neighboring region are currently fighting for their lives. Kyrylenko noted that the tactic of repeated strikes is not being used by Russian forces for the first time.
"At 19:15, the first rocket strike occurred. At 19:52, the second strike occurred. There is a practiced algorithm not to respond to the scene depending on the category of shelling – to go out after a certain interval. However, in this case, there was a direct hit on a residential apartment building, where people could be trapped under the rubble. Therefore, both the investigative-operational group and the State Emergency Service, as well as personnel from the military administration, immediately went to the scene to conduct a rescue operation. As soon as it became possible, we were able to receive additional signals about the high probability of a repeat strike. People and unnecessary personnel were quickly evacuated. In that short period of time – it was practically happening before my eyes – we managed to save a significant number of people through these measures," Kyrylenko explained.
One of those killed in the Russian rocket strike in Pokrovsk was Colonel Andriy Omelchenko, a Deputy Chief of the Main Department for Emergency Response at the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Donetsk region.
Colonel Omelchenko was 52 years old. He dedicated half of his life to his service.
