Ukrainian Shelling Kills 5 In Luhansk, Drone Attack Sparks Fire At Oil Refinery, Say Russian Officials

The accusations come at a time when Moscow has alleged Kyiv of increased attacks inside Russia.

Russian officials say five people were dead in a Ukrainian shelling in Luhansk region/Representational Image

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Five people were killed in a village in Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine in a shelling by Kyiv while a drone attack caused fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia, said Moscow-installed officials on Wednesday. Ukrainian artillery also hit a Russian town close to the border for a third time in a week leaving four persons injured and damaging buildings and vehicles, the officials said. This comes just a day after the Kremlin accused Kyiv of sending drones to attack buildings in Moscow. 

As per the Russian officials, Kyiv used US-made HIMARS rocket launchers to attack a farm in Karpaty village overnight killing five and 19 wounded, reported Reuters. 

The Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine is majorly controlled by Russian forces. 

Ukrainian artillery also hit the Russian town of Shebekino about seven kilometres north of the border with Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app, the report added.

Two people were hospitalised and shells smashed windows and damaged roofs of an eight-storey apartment building, four homes, a school, he said.

In Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, a fire broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery, which the governor said was likely caused by a drone. While there was no immediate information on who launched the drone but the incident came amid accusation by Moscow that Kyiv has increased attacks inside Russia in recent weeks while Russia has repeatedly pounded Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles.

Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram that the fire was put out and there were no casualties. The Afipsky refinery is not far from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, near another refinery that has been attacked several times this month.