In an interview to CNN, Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko stated that the situation in the besieged city is difficult and claimed Russian invasion has already killed up to 22,000 city residents.

Due to the continuing hostilities, there have not yet been independent estimates of casualties.

At the same time, president Zelensky voiced the number of ‘tens of thousands’ killed civilians.

Regarding the chemical attack reported by Azov regiment, the governor said the information need to be confirmed.

‘We know that last night around midnight, a drone dropped some so-far-unknown explosive device, people who were in the area in and around the Mariupol metallurgical plant, three people began to feel unwell,” he said. “What we have heard was that there were three people who were affected, taken to hospital, given medical assistance, at the moment their lives were not in danger’, he said.