On 3 February 2024, a Ukrainian missile struck a cafe in the Russian occupied city of Lysychansk as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian sources claimed 28 civilians, including three high-ranking collaborators, were killed in the cafe, while Ukraine has not yet commented on the attack.[1]
| February 2024 Lysychansk missile strike | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lysychansk, Ukraine |
| Date | 3 February 2024 |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | 28+ (claimed by Russia) |
| Perpetrators |  Ukraine (claimed by Russia) |
Attack
editBackground
editLysychansk was the site of a pitched battle in June 2022 which, after over a week, saw the city captured by elements of the Russian Armed Forces and the Luhansk people's militia, and a collaborationist government was established and placed under the control of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), a separatist puppet state that claims control over all of Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast.
Strike
editRussian state media had difficulty identifying the store which was targeted, first calling it a bakery, and then a restaurant, before the location was identified as the Adriatica café by milblogers.[2] Eduard Sakhnenko, the Russian-installed mayor of Lysychansk reported that the attack was a missile strike and that there where at least 28 civilian casualties, three of which were local politicians including a member of the LPR's executive branch.[3]
Victims
editThe missile strike targeted the Adriatica café during the birthday celebrations of Ivan Zhushma, a local collaborator and a member of the legislature of the LPR. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti stated that the attack killed several high-ranking LPR officials including:[1]
- Alexey Poteleschenko - Luhansk People's Republic's Emergency Situations Minister[1]
- Artem Trostyansky - Member of the People's Council of the Luhansk People's Republic[1]
- Ivan Zhushma - Member of the People's Council of the Luhansk People's Republic[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Two 'deputies' of occupation administration killed in Lysychansk cafe strike". The New Voice of Ukraine. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Another top Kremlin 'LPR' puppet reportedly destroyed in occupied Lysychansk". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Paskevych, Anna. "Ukrainian armed forces strike on Lysychansk eliminated "Minister of Emergency Situations" and two "LPR deputies": details emerged". Obozrevatel. Retrieved 5 February 2024.