Missile attack on Luhansk

Today’s explosions rocked the city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, one of the regions illegally annexed by Russia last September.

Moscow-appointed regional authorities reported missile attacks by Ukrainian forces, but there were no casualties.

Videos posted on social media platforms show thick black smoke billowing into the sky over the city of Luhansk, where two missiles reportedly hit an industrial facility.

Military analysts say that the Ukrainian armed forces may have used new long-range missiles because the city is so far away from their positions.

Violent explosions in the occupied territories #Luhansk

According to preliminary reports, the machine-building plant is on fire. pic.twitter.com/qyX13FemhT

– Nexta (@nexta_tv) May 12, 2023

Luhansk, the capital of the region of the same name, is located 30 kilometers from the Russian border and about 100 kilometers from the battle front. As such, it is beyond the range of most missile systems used by the Ukrainian military to date, such as the US HIMARS.

On Thursday, Britain announced that it had delivered Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, with a range of about 300 kilometers, allowing the Ukrainian army to strike the positions of Russian forces from a long distance.