Gorlovka. File photoDONETSK, Apr 23 Ukrainian troops shelled the city of Gorlovka in the Donetsk People's Republic in the morning, firing eight 122mm shells, the DPR office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC) reported.< p>"Fixed shelling from the armed formations of Ukraine in the direction: 06.30 (coincides with Moscow time) — the settlement of Novgorodskoye — the settlement of Gorlovka (the village of the Gagarin mine): eight shells of 122 mm caliber were fired", — the message published in the representative's Telegram channel.
20 minutes later Gorlovka was struck again. Also, the northern outskirts of Donetsk and the village of Dolya were shelled. Gorlovka is located 50 kilometers north of Donetsk, the Stirol chemical concern and coal mining enterprises are located in the city. This is one of the largest settlements in the DPR, which has been under the control of the republic since 2014. Before the start of the conflict in Donbass, the population of Gorlovka numbered more than 250,000 people. The settlements of Zaitsevo and the settlements of the mines named after Gagarin and 6/7, located on the outskirts, are subjected to the most frequent shelling here. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.» According to the Ministry of Defense, as of March 25, the main tasks of the first stage were completed — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass. Last Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the start of the next phase of the special operation.