Escalation in Donbas: Russia-backed militants shell residential neighborhood in Stanytsia Luhanska, causing fire

Russia-backed militants shelled a residential neighborhood in Stanytsa Luhanska, a settlement in the Luhansk region (controlled by Kyiv). The shell provoked a fire there. This information was confirmed by the local head of administration Albert Zinchenko, Babel outlet informed.

“Two private houses are on fire; most of the houses of the settlement suffer from the power outage. The Ukrainian side sent a request for observing the truce, but the party confirmed it, now rescuers are going to extinguish the house,” local authorities report.

February 17, the situation in the Donbas conflict area worsened after a relative lull. As reported earlier, Russia-backed militants shelled a number of civilian facilities, including a school and a kindergarten. Russian occupation troops fired Stanytsia Luhanska, a Kyiv-controlled settlement in the Luhansk region, with heavy artillery weapons. The shells hit the building of a kindergarten. Two civilians were injured. Local train station, as well as locomotive depot came under shelling too. The station and depot workers were not injured. One diesel locomotive was damaged. Depot buildings were targeted as well.

Find out more details on the attacks here.

Read also: Russia-backed militants shelled kindergarten in Luhansk region leaving wounded, civilians evacuated

Russian occupation forces targeted a lyceum in the village of Vrubivka in the Luhansk region (territory is controlled by Kyiv). During the class, 30 students were forced to hide in a school basement. 70 apartments in high-rise buildings and 96 private houses are left without gas supply, as the hostile forces fired with 122-mm mortars, prohibited by the Minsk agreements.