“The number of dead civilians is between 20 and 30, the correspondent for the Ukrainian newspaper reported from Gorlovka, adding that the bombardment was concentrated on the city center.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, one of the artillery shells fell in the vicinity of the city’s main maternity hospital.

Gorlovka is located just 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from Donetsk, the main staging area for pro-Russian separatist militias who are fighting forces loyal to Kiev in eastern Ukraine.

“People are taking refuge in the basements,” said the reporter, who added that the attack came from outside the city, where Kiev authorities say that government troops are located.

The spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense and National Security Council, Col. Andrey Lisenko, said Sunday that army and national guard troops are on the outskirts of Gorlovka, control of which is key for continuing Kiev’s offensive against Donetsk.

Meanwhile, the head of military operations against the secession-minded militias on Sunday morning said that the pro-Russian forces were using Ukrainian-flagged armored cars to bombard residential neighborhoods in Donetsk and other cities and then blame the attacks on government forces.