Smoke and explosions were recorded in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk on Oct. 29 after what Governor Artem Lysohor called possible strikes on Russian ammunition depots.
"Since morning, locals have been sharing footage of detonating ammunition," Lysohor said, publishing videos recorded by bystanders on his Telegram channel.
Russia has occupied the city of Luhansk, Ukraine's easternmost regional center, since the start of its aggression in 2014.
The videos show thick smoke rising above Luhansk and an explosion. According to Lysohor, Russian authorities closed an area near a park, which would mean that Russian forces hid materiel in public spaces frequented by civilians.
"Today's explosions will clearly be reflected in front-line combat operations: it will take a lot of time to replenish warehouses and build new logistics routes," Lysohor wrote.
Russian occupation authorities claimed that Ukraine carried out an "unsuccessful missile attack" on Luhansk, using weaponry of an unknown type.
Air defenses intercepted the missiles, with some of them exploding in the industrial part of the city, damaging several buildings, Russian proxies and state media alleged. No casualties were reported.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Ukrainian forces have been destroying ammunition behind the front lines to slow Russia’s advance along the front line, as Moscow’s forces advance at a speed not seen since March 2022.
In recent months, the Ukrainian military struck ammunition depots in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast, near occupied Mariupol, and Toropets in Russia’s Tver Oblast, with the latter’s explosion picked up on earthquake monitors.
Martin Fornusek
