Artillery shells allegedly fired by Russia killed at least eight people on Thursday, with Ukraine calling the attack a "terrorist act".
ADVERTISEMENTAt least eight people have been killed and four more wounded by alleged Russian shelling in Ukraine on Thursday, according to a Ukrainian regional governor.
Three children are among the wounded.
Artillery shells fired by Russia hit the eastern Ukrainian town of Toretsk at around 11:00 local time today, said governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Writing on Telegram, Kyrylenko said Russian shells hit a public bus stop, where a crowd of people were gathered.
The local church was damaged and a priest was injured in the attack, while surrounding high-rise buildings were damaged.
"Russian occupiers hit civilians every day - every day we have dead and wounded," wrote Kyrylenko on the messaging app. "All those who still remain in Donetsk are putting themselves in mortal danger."
He finished the message by appealing to all residents in the area to seek safety elsewhere.
"Do not turn yourself into a Russian target," Kyrylenko said "Evacuate in time."
Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, described the attack as "another terrorist act" by Russia, echoing calls for other nations to label Russia a state sponsor of terror, which could let to further sanctions against Moscow.
Russia has previously denied targetting civilians and has rejected allegations by Kyiv that it has committed war crimes in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a "special tribunal" in July to investigate possible atrocities committed by Russian troops against civilians during an international conference on war crimes at the Hague.
Since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, the Office for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 11,152 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including 4,889 killed and 6,263 injured.
Of those killed, there are 1,862 men, 1,264 women, 137 girls, and 157 boys, according to the OHCHR as well as 41 children and 1,428 adults whose sex is yet unknown.
The true figure is likely to be much higher as the conflict makes it difficult for authorities to record civilian deaths.