Among the 28 civilians who died as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the city of Lisichansk in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) on Saturday, 18 were men, 9 women and one child, said the head of the LPR Ministry of Health Natalia Pashchenko.
"28 civilians were killed, among them 18 were men, 9 were women and one child," she said.
Ukraine struck the crowded bakery in the early afternoon on Saturday, collapsing the building and trapping some 40 civilians under the rubble, the LPR military commander's office told Sputnik earlier.
After the strike six people were hospitalized at the Lugansk Republican Clinical Hospital, the condition of four is extremely serious, they are in intensive care, according to the LPR Ministry of Health.
Despite a threat of another strike, rescuers continue to remove the rubble and search for people at the risk of their own lives, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
"The Ukrainian armed forces opened fire at a bakery in Lisichansk, which provided bread to civilians. It is always crowded on weekends. Up to 40 people may be trapped under the debris," the military said.
The Russian Investigative Committee said the strike was apparently launched using a US-supplied HIMARS rocket system.
Following the attack, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's government of terrorism and now expects "the relevant international organizations to issue a swift and firm rebuke for Kiev’s crime."
Lisichansk is located close to the frontline. The Ukrainian army has been routinely shelling the city after losing control of the city in the summer of 2022. Ukrainian troops blew up some of the administrative buildings before they pulled out.