Ukraine war: Kyiv used missiles from UK to attack Luhansk, claims Russia
Six children were injured in the missle strike in Luhansk.
Russia claimed on Saturday (May 13) that Ukraine used long-range missiles from the United Kingdom to target civilian sites in the Russian-held city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine on Friday, the news agency AFP reported. In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said, "Storm Shadow air-to-air missiles supplied to the Kyiv regime by Great Britain were used for the strike, despite London's declarations that these weapons would not be used against civilian targets."
The ministry said that nearby residential buildings were damaged, and civilians were injured, including six children. It also said a Sukhoi Su-24 jet that carried the missiles and a MiG-29 aircraft had been shot down.
Ukraine has not commented till now. On Friday, authorities said that two Ukrainian-made "grom" tactical missiles damaged or destroyed administrative buildings at a packaging plant and a factory producing cleaning materials in Luhansk. Earlier, videos shared on social media showed a large plume of thick black smoke billowing over the city.
This missile came a day after the UK became the first country to announce that it started supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, which would allow it to hit Russian troops and supply dumps far beyond the front lines.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the missiles could be used within Ukrainian territory, implying that he received assurances from Ukraine that they would not be used to attack targets inside Russia's internationally accepted borders.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, two Russian fighter jets and two military helicopters were shot down close to the Ukrainian border, the news agency Reuters reported citing Russian media.
According to a report by Kommersant, a Su-34 fighter-bomber, a Su-35 fighter and two Mi-8 helicopters had made up a raiding party, and had been "shot down almost simultaneously" in an ambush in the Bryansk region.
"According to preliminary data ... the fighters were supposed to deliver a missile and bomb attack on targets in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, and the helicopters were there to back them up - among other things to pick up the 'Su' crews if they were shot down," the report said.
Russian news agency TASS, on the other hand, said a Su-34 aircraft crashed in that region, adding an engine fire in a helicopter caused it to crash near Klintsy. However, there was no mention of the Su-35 or a second helicopter.
Russian missiles hit hometown ofEurovision contestants
Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian city of Ternopil, which is home to the electro-pop duo Tvorchi, this year's contestants from Ukraine for the Eurovision song contest. According to local authorities, the strike had hit warehouses owned by commercial enterprises and a religious organisation. Two people were injured.
(With inputs from agencies)
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