Russia blames Ukraine after 28 killed in attack at building in Lysychansk town

MOSCOW: At least 28 people have been killed in a strike on a building in Lysychansk town in the Luhansk region, an attack for which Russia has blamed Ukraine, CNN reported.

Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-installed head of 'Luhansk People's Republic', said in a statement on Telegram that emergency services had rescued 10 people from under the rubble after what he said was a "Ukrainian attack" on a building housing a bakery on Saturday.

Pasechnik said that Sunday has been declared a day of mourning in the 'Luhansk People's Republic' for the victims of the attack.

"Operatives from the Russian Emergencies Ministry have rescued 10 people. Unfortunately, 28 people, including one child, died," the press service of Russian Emergency Ministry told TASS.

The agency noted that the search-and-rescue operation at the collapsed bakery in Lisichansk in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) was underway.

"About 65 per cent of destroyed construction elements have been pulled out," it added.

Notably, Lysychansk was taken over by Russian forces in July 2022, becoming the last town in the key region of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine to fall, as reported by CNN.

However, Ukraine's defence ministry has not commented on the incident.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has been escalating its attacks on Russia and Russian-controlled territory as its ground offensive stalls.

Earlier this week, Ukraine's military intelligence claimed that it sank a Russian warship off the coast of Crimea, landing the latest in a series of blows to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said it stopped Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow and St Petersburg. Also in January, an oil depot was set ablaze as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, CNN reported citing Moscow authorities.

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

This development comes as Russian forces are working hard to break through Ukraine's defences on the battlefield. A member of the Ukrainian army said they are in "deep defence mode."

Russian troops are aiming to advance towards Chasiv Yar, a highly militarized town on higher ground a few kilometres west of Bakhmut. Further south, Russian attention has been focused for months on the town of Avdiivka, and its massive coke plant, both of which Russia has been attempting to encircle, CNN reported.