The Russian occupation authorities said that a Ukrainian bombing targeted a bakery in the city of Lysychansk, eastern occupied Ukraine, killing at least eight people and wounding 10 others.
Lysychansk, in the Luhansk region, fell to Russian forces after a brutal battle at the start of the 2022 Moscow offensive.
According to pro-Russian authorities, Ukrainian forces bombed a building housing a crowded bakery and the death toll is expected to rise.
“According to current data, the bombing of a bakery in Lysichansk resulted in the deaths of eight people and the injury of 10 with varying degrees of severity,” Natalia Pashchenko, Minister of Health of the Lugansk region authorities, said on the Telegram application, which Moscow installed.
She added that rescuers had already spotted 10 people under the rubble. “There are deaths among them as well,” says Ms. Paschenko.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said earlier that rescue operations were continuing.
Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor of Luhansk, accused Kiev forces of targeting the bakery, which he said was known for serving fresh bread on weekends.
RIA Novosti published a video of a destroyed building, where we also see rescuers removing a completely crushed car from under the rubble.
The one-story building had a large sign bearing the name “Adriatic Restaurant” and appeared completely destroyed.
Leonid Pashchnik said local police and rescue services were at the site and trying to “rescue the victims with special equipment.”
The population of Lysychansk was about 111 thousand people before the Russian attack in Ukraine.
Russian forces took control of it in the summer of 2022, and also took control of its city, Severodonetsk, after one of the fiercest battles since the start of their attack in February 2022.
