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Ukrainian army intensifies shelling of Donetsk to distract DPR artillery – official

Deputy Head of the People's Militia of the DPR Eduard Basurin also called the goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to slow down the advance of the allied forces

MARIUPOL, August 10. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops have intensified the bombardments of Donetsk in order to divert DPR artillery units to counterbattery work and slow down the advancement of allied forces, Deputy Head of the DPR's People's Militia Eduard Basurin told reporters on Wednesday during a press tour organized by the Russian Defense Ministry.

"We link this (intensified bombardments - TASS) with distracting our forces and means, above all, artillery, from implementing tasks on the line of engagement. The adversary thinks that by shelling the city [they will] force us to use our artillery forces for counterbattery fighting so that pressure is decreased on those segments of the frontline where the advancement is happening," the military official said.

On August 4, Ukrainian forces shelled downtown Donetsk where a funeral ceremony for Olga Kachura, one of the founders of the DPR’s People’s Militia, was taking place, forcing its participants to evacuate to nearby basements. The ceremony was held later. Donetsk Mayor Alexey Kulemzin called the shelling a planned terror attack against civilians. Eight civilians, including a child, were killed in the bombardment and five were wounded.