Originally Published: 27 JUN 23 14:16 ET

Updated: 27 JUN 23 15:15 ET

By Mick Krever, Mariya Knight, Ben Wedeman and AnneClaire Stapleton, CNN

(CNN) — Russian missiles struck the busy city center of the east Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk and a nearby village on Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens, according to local officials.

“Russia deliberately targeted crowded areas,” Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

Twenty-two people were injured, including one child, he said, adding that a local catering business and several private homes were damaged.

An eyewitness to the aftermath of the strike in Kramatorsk city described up to a dozen people being pulled from the rubble. It was not clear if these people were dead or alive, the man told CNN teams on the ground.

The restaurants on the targeted plaza are popular with residents and the military; RIA Pizza, one of the establishments, is often frequented by the military and journalists.

Search and rescue operations are currently underway.

A second missile also struck the nearby village of Bilenke, according to Andriy Yermak, adviser to the Office of President Zelensky.

The attack happened at around 7:30pm local time, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk region military administration, said on Ukrainian state TV.

It comes during a potentially pivotal moment of the Ukraine war, as Russia’s security apparatus reckons with the continuing fallout of a short-lived insurrection by the Wagner mercenary group, and as Kyiv’s counteroffensive pushes forward.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday visited the frontlines of the Donetsk region, later announcing that Ukrainian forces had advanced “in all directions.

This is a developing story.