Russian shelling in Ukrainian city kills 16 and wounds dozens: Officials

At least 16 people were killed and dozens were wounded Wednesday when Russian shelling struck a market in a city in eastern Ukraine, officials said.

The deadly attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv and was expected to announce more than USD 1 billion in new American funding.

Associated Press journalists at the site of the attack in Kostiantynivka saw covered bodies on the ground and emergency workers extinguishing fires at market stalls, with blackened and mangled cars nearby.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at least 16 people were killed. At least 28 were wounded, according to Internal Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Emergency service workers extinguished the fire that damaged about 30 pavilions at the outdoor market, Klymenko said. Crews searched the rubble for any trapped civilians.

Twenty shops, power lines, administrative building and the floor of an apartment building were damaged, according to the prosecutor general’s office.

Blinken’s visit also was aimed at assessing Ukraine’s 3-month-old counteroffensive and signal continued US backing as some Western allies express worries about Kyiv’s slow progress in driving out Russian forces after 18 months of war, according to US officials.

“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs for the long-term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Blinken said. “We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy.”

Blinken was set to pledge more than USD 1 billion in new US funding, a senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the announcement before it was made.

The money would be for “a range” of investments, the official said, without

elaborating.