Ukraine shelling attack injures two top pro-Russia officials in Donetsk – agencies

(Reuters) – A former Russian deputy prime minister and a pro-Moscow official were injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the eastern city of Donetsk on Wednesday, Russian news agencies said.

Donetsk, controlled by pro-Moscow troops, is in the industrial Donbas region, epicentre of recent bitter fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

One of the injured men was Dmitry Rogozin, a former Russian deputy prime minister who is giving military advice to two occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims as its own, an aide told Tass news agency, his life was not in danger.

Also hurt was Vitaly Khotsenko, the head of government of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, his press secretary told Russian news agencies.

The two men were injured when a hotel on the outskirts of Donetsk came under fire from high-precision weapons, aides told Russian agencies. A Russian parliamentarian who was also at the hotel suggested the attackers had acted on a tip.

Rogozin used to head Russia’s space agency but was replaced in July. He had taken a confrontational stance since the agency was hit with sanctions for its role in the defence industry.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski, editing by David Ljunggren and Cynthia Osterman)