Russian officials say the Ukrainian military launched ballistic missiles into the city of Lugansk, damaging two abandoned buildings and injuring six children.
The attack on the capital city of the same name on the evening of May 12 destroyed or damaged the administration building at a packaging facility and a detergent factory. Both areas have long been abandoned and no one was killed, said Leonid Pasechnik, leader of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR).
Smoke rises after a missile strike in Lugansk on May 12. Photo: Ria Novosti
Five houses near the scene also had their windows broken. The raid injured at least seven people, including six children and Russian MP Viktor Volodatsky.
Witnesses earlier said two explosions had rocked the city of Lugansk. Images shared on social media showed two large columns of black smoke rising, while Russian media also published images of a building that had been almost completely destroyed.
The scene of the missile attack in Lugansk city on May 12. Photo: Ria Novosti
The city of Lugansk is located far from Ukrainian positions. Lugansk officials said the Ukrainian military used Grom-2 tactical ballistic missiles, combined with US-made decoys to complicate air defenses.
The Grom-2 is a Ukrainian-made ballistic missile with a range of 300 km and a 480 kg high-explosive fragmentation or concrete-piercing warhead. Russian officials have reported intercepting Grom-2 missiles launched by Ukraine into the Crimean peninsula in early May and April.
The Russian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian military have not commented on the information.
Russian forces control about 95% of Lugansk Oblast, one of four regions Moscow annexed in October 2022, along with Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine rejected the move, calling it “unjustifiable” and vowing to reclaim all territory.
The situation on the Russia - Ukraine battlefield. Graphics: RYV
Vu Anh (According to Ria Novosti, Reuters )
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