Missile attacks on Luhansk – what we know

According to the Russian occupiers, two large explosions occurred in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk. The government deployed by Moscow in the annexed region on Friday accused the Ukrainian army of firing rockets at the city, which is nearly 100 kilometers from the front.

According to a report by the Russian news agency TASS, a former plastics factory of the chemical company Polipack has been hit. She refers to statements by Rodion Miroshnik, who for some time represented the occupied Moscow region.

Late Friday evening, photos also appeared on which the Russian member of parliament Viktor Vodolatsky could be seen. He is led out of the rubble in a military uniform with injuries to his face. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported, based on local authorities, that the Russian politician was injured in the attack. Vodolatsky was in town for celebrations marking the anniversary of what Russia called the region’s occupation.

There was speculation on social networks and among military experts whether Britain’s first Storm Shadow cruise missiles had already been used. On Thursday, the British government announced that it would supply this type of missile with a range of about 250 kilometers to Ukraine. The Storm Shadow missiles are usually launched from fighter jets. It is unclear whether the first models are already in Ukraine.

The background to the assumptions is the location of the explosions: Luhansk is far from the current front. For example, the Himars missiles supplied by the West would not reach Luhansk from the now known front positions.

Pro-Russian military blogger Rybar, citing residents in the region, reported that the sound of a flying plane and a missile launch were reported over the city. He suspected that a test flight of a British missile was responsible. However, there is no independent confirmation of this. “In the near future, the armed forces of Ukraine will attempt similar attacks against other rearguard facilities, including Russian aviation airfields,” he wrote on Telegram.

Luhansk politician Rodion Miroshnik speculated on Telegram that the missiles could be Soviet-designed Tochka-U missiles from Ukraine. These have a range of about 120 kilometers. He reported that the rockets were probably fired from Chasiv Yar, west of the Bakhmut.

The American broadcaster CNN reported that the coordination committee of the self-declared separatist republic of Luhansk spoke on Telegram about Grom missiles. These Ukrainian missiles also have a range of about 120 kilometers and are comparable to the Russian Iskander missiles. However, no evidence, such as photos of debris, has been presented from the Russian side so far.

It is also unclear why the factory was the target of an attack. The occupiers initially told Tass that they were attacking civilian infrastructure. Six children were injured. Administration later confirmed that a factory building was hit. Videos showed thick black clouds of smoke rising. The Nexta news service spoke of an oil depot that had been hit. It is also believed that Russian equipment was repaired at the factory. Luhansk is considered an important transfer point for Russian troops.

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