20 were killed in the region of Donetsk eastern Ukraine after a Ukraine missile strike, Russia claims on Monday.

A high-voltage power line to Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant was damaged by Russian forces not long after electricity supplies were restored to the facility, grid operator Ukrenergo said in a statement on Monday. Stay with TOI for all updates:R

Russia declared on Monday that an attack by Kyiv’s forces on the stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine had left 20 people dead, accusing Kyiv of committing a “war crime”.

Moscow accused Ukraine’s army of firing a Tochka-U missile at a residential area in Donetsk, in one of the most serious attacks on the city since Russia sent troops into Ukraine over two weeks ago.

Rebels, who have controlled the city since 2014, had earlier said fragments from a rocket they shot down had left 16 civilians dead.

“Twenty peaceful residents have died,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

“Another 28 people including children were seriously injured and hospitalised.”

“The use of such weapons in a city where there are no firing positions of the armed forces,” Konashenkov added, “is a war crime.”

Earlier Monday Donetsk officials said more than a dozen people had been killed after they shot down a projectile and remnants landed in Donetsk’s centre.

Donetsk health officials later released updated figures matching those announced by the Russian defence ministry.