Over 20 Killed, 80 Injured in Worst Shelling of Luhansk by Ukrainian Forces
The bombardment of the city, home to over 400,000 people, began at around 06:00 PM local time and went on during the night and through Sunday morning, Itar-Tass reported.
Self-defense forces said Kyiv forces hit 22 buildings, including a school and a kindergarten, killing 24 civilians.
They stressed the death toll may rise as shelling of the city continues.
An eyewitness stated that around 10 people were killed at a bus stop in the Yubileynoe village, which is also a part of Luhansk.
“Peaceful civilians were torn into pieces at the bus stop,” Viktor said, adding that the attack by Kyiv forces was “aimed exclusively at the civilian population”.
“They’re targeting private houses. There are no checkpoints, no troops, no self-defense forces there,” he said.
The press service of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic claimed that government forces used mortars and heavy artillery in their assault.
“It was the worst shelling of Luhansk that I’ve ever seen,” said Aleksey Toporov from the Luhansk People’s Republic.
“Shelling over night has damaged several power lines,” said Manolisa Pilavova, first deputy mayor of Luhansk.
“At the moment, about 60 percent of people are without electricity,” Pilavova added.
Kyiv’s military crackdown on the southeast of Ukraine started in mid-April, after residents in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions refused to recognize the coup-imposed authorities in Kyiv and demanded federalization.