Russian forces suffered another major strike in the occupied Ukrainian city of Lugansk earlier in the day in an alleged use of newly supplied British Storm Shadow long-range missiles.
Initial reports indicated the target was a former aviation school believed to house a contingent of Putin’s troops.
Two explosions sounded at 8 a.m. local time in the makeshift barracks, with videos of the aftermath of the strike showing the building on fire and trailing thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
The windows of nearby residential buildings were reportedly shattered by the intensity of the shock wave from the explosion.
There was no immediate information about the casualties.
The aftermath of an early morning strike on a Russian barracks in Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region is visible on the horizon
Britain recently sent a shipment of Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, allowing kyiv forces to strike deeper into Russian-held territory
Pro-Russian military expert Andrey Marochko suspects the strike was carried out using a Storm Shadow missile
Witnesses reported the sound of an airplane, then a rumble and explosions.
Luhansk People’s Republic official Rodion Miroshnik suggested the target was the former aviation school, while pro-Russian military expert Andrey Marochko, a retired lieutenant colonel, said he suspected that Storm Shadow missiles had been used.
Storm Shadow missiles, accurate beyond 150 miles, allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian-held territory than previously possible, and will play a key role in the country’s long-awaited counter-offensive against its occupiers.
On Friday, British-supplied missiles were used to strike the former Interior Ministry Academy and the Polipak Machine-Building Plant in Lugansk.
Pro-Putin MP Viktor Vodolatsky, 65, was slightly injured in the strikes.
On Saturday, at least two Russian fighter jets and two military helicopters were shot down in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, in one of the worst days for Putin’s air force.
Accounts were divided on whether the planes were shot down by Ukrainian strikes, or friendly fire by Russian air defenses, or even sabotage.
Storm Shadow missiles, accurate beyond 150 miles, allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian-held territory than previously possible. Pictured: A Eurofighter plane carrying two Storm Shadow missiles
Ukraine’s armed forces deployed long-range British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and an American-made ADM-160B MALD missile during the shelling of Luhansk, pro-Russian sources in the occupied region have claimed. One of the affected objects is the Machine-Building Plant 100 (Polipak), which was used as a supply point and repair base of the Russian Armed Forces.
Pro-Putin MP Viktor Vodolatsky, 65, was slightly injured in the strikes.
A pair of Russian Mi-8 helicopters were shot down over the Russian region of Bryansk on May 13, 2023 near the Ukrainian border
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky flew to the UK this morning to meet Rishi Sunak ahead of a “crucial” week in the fight against Russia.
Ukraine’s president has arrived for a surprise visit which will see him hold “substantive talks” with the prime minister at his Checkers country residence.
Zelensky was in Paris for talks with Emmanuel Macron yesterday after a summit with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Aachen over the weekend.
Sunak is set to push for more support for Kyiv when he attends the G7 gathering in Japan and the Council of Europe in Reykjavik later this week.
The Prime Minister pledged to send a “message of solidarity” as Ukraine tries to drive out Vladimir Putin’s invading forces, saying it is in “all our interests” that Zelensky succeeds.
The talks come after the UK became the first country to supply long-range precision missiles to Ukraine.