On Saturday, Russian officials accused Ukraine of launching an attack on a bakery in the Russian-occupied town of Lysychansk, located in eastern Ukraine. They claimed the attack resulted in civilian casualties and the death of several representatives from the Russian occupation authorities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labelled the assault as a terrorist act perpetrated against civilian infrastructure, with Russia’s report stating a total of 28 fatalities. Ukrainian officials have yet to issue a response or comment on these allegations. You can delve further into the details via this JURIST report.
Sergey Pasechnik, the leader of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) – the territorial occupation regime set up by the Russian Federation in certain districts of the Luhansk region – claimed that a café in the town of Lysychansk was targeted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After the attack, which Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said led to the bakery’s two-story building collapsing, search and rescue efforts commenced. Pasechnik later revealed that the bodies of 28 civilians had been recovered from the rubble, prompting a declaration of mourning across the LPR on Sunday. More information can be found on the attacks as reported by Sergey Pasechnik and Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.
In an additional report, it was announced that the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Luhansk People’s Republic, Oleksiy Poteleshchenko, was killed as a result of the strike on Lysychansk, an incident that Peskov referred to as monstrous. His full statement can be read here.
The international reaction to the assault has been substantial, with Russia requesting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Russian diplomat Dmitry Polyansky confirmed that the meeting, due to discuss the reported strike by Ukraine on Lysychansk, is expected to take place at 3 PM New York time on February 6. Polyansky’s comments can be accessed here.