Videos from Luhansk show large fire after reported ATACMS attack

Videos are circulating on social media showing a huge fire in occupied Ukraine after reports that Kiev forces attacked with US missiles.

Russian war correspondent Yuri Kotenok said on Tuesday that there was “a massive fire following an explosion” on the outskirts of the city of Luhansk. On his Telegram channel, he said that according to his sources, the attack was carried out by Ukraine using either ATACMS ballistic missiles or HIMARS (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).

“There are victims,” he said.

Social Media Videos seem to show the immediate consequences of the strike.

Newsweek could not independently confirm the authenticity of the videos and has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

The context

The incident came as Moscow's forces seek to make significant gains in eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to capture large swathes of Ukrainian territory before further military help arrives from Kyiv's allies. The Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which make up Donbass, suffer from constant shelling.

The US recently secretly supplied Ukraine with tactical missile systems (ATACMS) capable of hitting targets nearly 320 kilometers away. Since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the US has also supplied Ukraine with at least 39 HIMARS.

What we know

Rodion Miroshnik, the Kremlin-appointed special envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry in occupied Luhansk, also reported on the attack. Local residents reported hearing explosions.

“Locals report at least two loud explosions and a series of bangs, like those from cluster bombs,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, sharing a picture of the resulting fire.

Several people were injured in the attack, reported the Russian state news agency Tass.

Artem Lysohor, the Ukrainian head of the Luhansk region administration, said on Tuesday that the explosions occurred near a former Russian flight school, the Luhansk Higher Military Aviation School for Navigators, and a nearby aircraft repair factory.

Lysohor said details were not known at this time, but the “losses of flight equipment” could be “significant.”

Ukrainian media reported that Russia has deployed troops and equipment, including helicopters, in the area since the start of its large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kiev has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.