At least four people have been killed and dozens injured in the Russian city of Lugansk on Friday, after Ukraine used US-donated missiles to attack the city, Russian officials have said.
Kiev fired five ATACMS missiles, four of which Russian air defenses intercepted, the Defense Ministry said. The fifth caused damage and resulted in more than 20 casualties on the ground, according to the statement. The military claimed that the weapons were intentionally directed at a residential area.
Local emergency services reported the partial collapse of an apartment building, with multiple people trapped under the rubble. They said three dead bodies have been recovered by rescue workers.
Natalia Pashchenko, Health Minister for the Lugansk People’s Republic, updated the casualty count later in the day. She put the death toll at four and said 43 people, including four children, had been injured.
The military said two residential buildings were seriously damaged, while journalists on the ground said as many as ten were affected.
An RT crew has filmed heavy damage to the roof of an apartment block and vehicles, as well as what appears to be munition fragments scattered in the area.