MOSCOW: Ukrainian shelling killed six people and wounded nearly a dozen in the eastern city of Donetsk which is under the control of Russian forces, a senior Moscow-appointed official said Tuesday.

Donetsk has been controlled by Russian forces since 2014 and authorities routinely accuse Ukraine of deadly attacks on the city, claims that cannot be independently verified.

"Six people were killed and 11 wounded. Medical assistance is being provided to all the injured," Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-backed head of the region said on social media.

Ukrainian forces shell village in Russia’s Bryansk region

He said Ukrainian forces had fired long-range missiles provided last year by the United States, striking "civilian infrastructure" and official buildings.

Donetsk's Kremlin-backed mayor had earlier said that a building linked with the Labour and Social Protection service was hit, leading to six deaths.

Russian occupation authorities released images showing emergency services at the scene of a building whose roof had caved in and which was surrounded by debris.

The Kremlin claimed to have annexed the industrial region of Donetsk last year along with three other Ukrainian regions, which Moscow's forces do not fully control.