Ukraine: At least 28 people killed in an air strike on the Russian-occupied town of Lysychansk

CNN
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At least 28 people were killed in an attack on a building in the town of Lysychansk in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in the east of the country. UkraineThe Moscow-appointed head of the region said Sunday.

In a statement on the Telegram app, the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasichnik, said emergency services rescued 10 people from under the rubble after what he said was a Ukrainian attack on a building housing a bakery on Saturday.

Pashnik said that Sunday was declared a day of mourning in the Luhansk People's Republic for the victims of the attack.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the incident.

Russian forces took control of Lysichansk in July 2022. Become the last city In the main Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine is escalating its attacks on Russia and the territories controlled by Russia, with its ground offensive halting.

Earlier this week, Ukraine Military intelligence said it sank a Russian warship off the coast of Crimea, in the latest in a series of strikes by the Russian navy. Black Sea Fleet.

The Russian Defense Ministry said last month that it had stopped Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow and St. Petersburg. Also in January, an oil warehouse caught fire as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Bryansk region, on the border with Ukraine, according to authorities.

In December, Ukraine launched an attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod, killing at least 24 people and wounding 108 others. Russia responded with retaliatory strikes on Kharkiv.

This comes at a time when Russian forces are working hard to penetrate Ukraine's defenses on the battlefield. A member of the Ukrainian army He said They are in “deep defense mode.”

Russian forces aim to advance towards Chasev Yar, a heavily armed town located on high ground a few kilometers west of Bakhmut.

To the south, Russian attention has been focused for months on the town of Avdiivka and its massive coke plant, both of which Russia is trying to encircle.