At least 28 killed in attack on Russian-occupied town in eastern Ukraine

(CNN) — At least 28 people were killed in an attack on a building in the city of Lisichansk in the Russian-held Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, the head of the Moscow-based region said on Sunday.

In a statement on Telegram, the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pesechnik, said that this Saturday emergency services rescued 10 people from under the debris following the Ukrainian attack on a building containing a bakery.

Pasechnik said Sunday had been declared a day of mourning in the Luhansk People’s Republic for the victims of the attack.

The Defense Ministry of Ukraine has not commented on the incident.

Lisichansk was captured by Russian forces in July 2022, becoming the last city to fall in the key Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine is increasing its attacks on Russia and Russian-controlled territory to deter its ground offensive.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian military intelligence claimed to have sunk a Russian warship off the coast of Crimea, the latest in a series of attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

In January, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow and St. Petersburg. Also in January, an oil depot caught fire in the Russian region of Bryansk bordering Ukraine as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike, according to officials.

In December, Ukraine attacked the Russian border city of Belgorod, killing at least 24 people and injuring 108 others. Russia retaliated in Kharkiv.

The attack comes as Russian forces attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses on the battlefield. A member of the Ukrainian military said they were in “defense-intensification mode”.

Russian troops intend to advance towards Chasiv Yar, a heavily militarized town located on high ground a few kilometers west of Bakhmut.

In the south, Russian attention has been focused for months on the town of Avdiivka and its giant coke plant, which Russia has attempted to surround.