The aftermath of Saturday's attack on a bakery in Lissichansk, a city under Russian control in the eastern part of Ukraine, has led to a devastating toll of 28 fatalities, including a child. This tragic update was provided by the Russian emergency services on Sunday, as reported by AFP according to News.ro.
The attack, which has been attributed to Ukrainian forces, occurred in a region that has experienced little movement on the front lines for months, though the conflict remains intensely violent with increased shelling activities noted this winter. Lissichansk, situated in the Luhansk region, was overtaken by Russian forces in the summer of 2022 following a fierce battle.
Russian emergency personnel, amidst ongoing search and rescue operations, have managed to dismantle approximately 65% of the bakery's ruins. Initial reports had accounted for 20 victims, a number which was subsequently revised to 28. Efforts to locate survivors continued into the night, with the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announcing the rescue of 10 individuals thus far.
The Russian-installed governor of Lugansk, Leonid Pasechnik, has blamed the Kiev forces for deliberately targeting the bakery, a site popular among the locals for its fresh bread available on weekends.
In retaliation, Ukraine's air force reported successfully intercepting nine out of 14 drones launched by Russia over southern and central Ukraine. The drone attacks, primarily utilizing Iranian-made Shahed drones, aimed at the country's energy infrastructure, particularly in the Dnipro region, causing significant power outages and leaving 15,000 residents of Krivoy Rog, President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown, without electricity.
President Zelensky praised the Ukrainian forces for their effective counteractions against Russian military efforts both on land and at sea. This statement came in the wake of Ukraine's claims of destroying a Russian warship off the Crimea coast and a drone strike causing a major fire at a refinery in Russia's Volgograd region, both acts attributed to Ukrainian forces.
The fire at the Volgograd refinery, owned by oil giant Lukoil, was quickly contained without casualties, as confirmed by local authorities and emergency services. This incident is part of a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory since the onset of the conflict in February 2022, highlighting the ongoing and escalating tensions between the two nations.
