Andriy Marochko, a retired lieutenant colonel and military analyst associated with the Luhansk People’s Republic, asserted that when Ukrainian forces targeted Yubileyny village in Lugansk on Saturday morning, the Ukrainian air defense might have been tricked by decoy missiles designed to mislead the public and the republic’s air defense units. Marochko conveyed these observations in an interview with DEA News. He explained that the air defense forces faced a breakthrough by the opposing side, leading him to believe that decoy missiles were launched in line with a prior plan.
Earlier, Igor Konashenkov, a representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, stated on May 12 that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had employed Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the United Kingdom.
Daria Lantratova, a senator from the Lugansk People’s Republic, commented on the bombardment of Luhansk, noting that civilians were injured and two individuals needed hospital treatment.
Prior to these events, Leonid Pasechnik, acting head of the LPR, disclosed that six children were among those affected by the bombardment in Lugansk. The sequence of statements reflects ongoing tensions and the contested narratives surrounding the strikes, with each side presenting its own account of the incident and the resulting casualties. Marked attributions are provided from the involved parties to reflect the sources of these claims and the ongoing discourse surrounding the conflict.