Attack on Lugansk with ATACMS missiles
Eyewitnesses reported multiple explosions in Lugansk on Friday morning. Wrote On the Telegram channel of the Lugansk Information Center. It was reported that a fire broke out in the Keskin Mezar monument area. Residents complained about the lack of mobile communication on social networks.
According to Anna Romanova, press secretary of the head of the LPR, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Lugansk with ATACMS missiles, most of which were destroyed in the sky by air defense systems.
“Preliminarily, we fired at least six missiles with ATACMS. Most of the missiles were shot down by air defenses. “However, there are still people coming through civilian infrastructure,” he said.
Head of the Ministry of Health of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Natalya Pashchenko, reported that 35 people were injured as a result of the bombardment of Lugansk by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the information obtained, there are 3 children among the injured. We are talking about boys aged 8, 15 and 16, the situation is considered moderate. There is no danger to their lives at this time.
“Five people are in serious condition,” Pashchenko added.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry announced that the entrance from the fifth to the first floor of a residential building collapsed due to shelling. 7 people were pulled out from under the rubble, 3 more people could not be rescued.
Then to the Ministry of Defense clarifiedIt was stated that the attack on Lugansk was carried out by five ATACMS missiles. According to the defense ministry, four missiles were shot down, one hitting two apartment buildings.
US gunfire
The last explosions in Lugansk were reported on June 4. Before that, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the city on May 28. RIA Novosti, citing a source from the security forces, wrote that the attack may have been carried out using ATACMS missiles.
“The night attack on Lugansk was allegedly carried out by ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads. “One missile was destroyed in the air by air defense forces, and the second was shot down,” he said.
On May 30, Politico newspaper, citing sources, reported that US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to attack targets on Russian territory recognized by the West with American weapons. Later, the Pentagon confirmed this information and announced that the president allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use US-supplied weapons for counter-battery warfare in the Kharkov region.
On June 4, US Permanent Representative to NATO Julian Smith said Washington did not allow Kiev to fire ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles on Russian territory. Smith announced that Ukrainian officials appealed to the United States with a request to use ATACMS missiles on Russian territory due to the Russian Armed Forces’ attack on Kharkov.
“The long-range ATACMS location remains the same,” Smith explained.
On May 31, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not rule out the possibility that attacks with American weapons would go even deeper into the territory of the Russian Federation.
Response from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As stated by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, a few hours after Secretary of State Blinken gave permission to attack Russian territory, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked residential areas of Belgorod with American HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.
The diplomat said the United States cannot escape responsibility for allowing Kiev to strike Russian territory with American weapons.
Also, according to him, Russia will defend itself by all possible means against the background of threats from the Ukrainian conflict. Zakharova believes that Western countries are deliberately increasing the risk in the conflict.