At least seven civilians were killed and two others injured on Wednesday in Russian strikes in the Donetsk region (eastern Ukraine), regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko announced on Thursday.

"The Russians killed seven civilians": three in the city of Toretsk, two in Avdiivka, one in Kodema and one in Siversk, the official said on Telegram, without giving further details.

Several localities in the region came under artillery and multiple rocket launcher fire, the Ukrainian presidency said Thursday morning, citing regional administrations.

The Russians, who claim to have taken control of the entire neighboring Lugansk region, are now seeking to conquer Donetsk to thus occupy the entire Donbass mining basin, which Moscow-backed separatists have partially controlled since 2014.

In the Donetsk region, the city of Sloviansk is seen as the next potential target for Russian forces in their plan to completely conquer the Donbass basin, after three and a half months of conflict.

On Tuesday, Russian rockets struck a market in central Sloviansk and hit adjacent streets, killing at least two people.