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Attack on Lysychansk kills ~28 people at bakery
a year ago
I apologize for all of the Journals about civilian casualty events in the Russia-Ukraine war special military operations (aka war), but since I've already mentioned several I wanted to at least mention the latest report: (at the time I originally created this Journal the reporting on the event was mostly or entirely based on information/statements from Russian sources, since the mostly depopulated city of Lysychansk is currently under Russian control; however more information and details have emerged in the following days)
<I am trying to update this Journal as new information is reported, it is interesting to watch the story evolve over time. Latest update: 06 Feb 2024>
"Russian sources claimed on February 3 that Ukrainian forces conducted a HIMARS strike against a bakery in occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast." -- from ISW (a one sentence mention in their 3 Feb 2024 report)
"Russia says at least 28 people have been killed after Ukrainian forces shelled a bakery in the city of Lysychansk in the occupied eastern region of Luhansk," -- from Al Jazera (4 Feb 2024)
"Reuters was unable to independently verify the date of the footage or any other details of the report coming out of an area Russia annexed in July 2022 after months of heavy fighting." -- from Reuters (2024-02-03)
"Kyiv has not commented, but Ukrainian military bloggers have since claimed that "collaborators" and Russian officials were in the building at the time... Neither the death toll nor any other claims by either Russia or Ukraine have been verified by the BBC. Lysychansk, which is in the eastern Luhansk region, was captured by Russia in July 2022." -- from BBC (5 Feb 2024)
"A top Russian official was killed in a strike by Ukraine at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk in Ukraine's Luhansk region, officials announced on Monday. Alexey Poteleshchenko was the Kremlin-installed minister of emergency situations in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic [LPR] in Ukraine's Donbas region. He died in the attack on Saturday, Russian state-run news agencies RIA Novosti and Tass reported, citing sources. Poteleshchenko's death was later confirmed by the Kremlin-installed head of the self-proclaimed region, Leonid Pasechnik. "He was a courageous man with an iron character and huge fortitude. He defended the Luhansk People's Republic in the ranks of the People's Militia, then worked in the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the LPR," Pasechnik wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday. "We will definitely take revenge on the enemy for his death and for the deaths of all those who became victims of the inhumane shelling of Lysychansk," he said. Pasechnik said he personally knew Poteleshchenko "as a high-class professional." He extended his condolences to his family and friends. Citing representatives of Russia's Investigative Committee, Russian publication RTVI reported that the strike was likely carried out by Ukraine using a U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Newsweek couldn't independently verify if the weapons were used in the attack." -- from Newsweek (Feb 05, 2024)
"A Ukrainian strike on a bakery in the occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk over the weekend killed three officials, Russian-installed representatives said Monday. The Kremlin has blasted the attack that killed at least 28 people as a “monstrous terrorist act.” On Monday, authorities in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region said a local government minister and two deputies were among those killed. “During the brutal shelling of the bakery in Lysychansk, the emergency situations minister of the Luhansk People's Republic, Colonel Alexey Poteleshchenko, was killed,” the Moscow-appointed head of the region Leonid Pasechnik said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Luhansk is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed since invading the country nearly two years ago. Poteleshchenko fought in militia units for pro-Russian separatists against Ukraine before being appointed to the government post, Pasechnik said. Two municipal deputies were also killed in the attack, Mayor Eduard Sakhnenko said in a post on social media... Kremlin-backed officials in occupied Ukraine said 18 men, nine women and one child died when Ukrainian forces struck the building on Saturday." -- The Moscow Times (05 Feb 2024)
"A recent Ukrainian HIMARS strike on occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, killed at least one significant Russian occupation official. Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Head Leonid Pasechnik stated on February 5 that a February 3 Ukrainian HIMARS strike killed LNR Emergency Situations Minister Colonel Alexei Poteleshchenko, and other occupation officials claimed that the strike killed 28 people.[38] Some Russian sources claimed that many of the 28 killed were occupation officials, public prosecutors, and law enforcement officers who had gathered for a celebration.[39] ISW is unable to verify this claim, however." -- from ISW (5 Feb 2024 report)
"Russia has admitted that one of its senior occupation officials, Alexey Poteleshchenko, was among those killed when a supposed bakery in Russian-held Lysychansk was bombed. The Kremlin had previously characterised the casualties as civilians. Russian state-run news agencies RIA Novosti and Tass have now reported that Poteleshchenko was a former pro-Russian militiaman who, at the time of his death, was minister of emergency situations in the self-proclaimed, Russian-controlled Luhansk People’s Republic." -- The Guardian (6 Feb 2024)
-- here is an assortment of news articles about the incident in Lysychansk (most are based on information provided by the Russian administration with no independent verification yet):
AP: https://apnews.com/article/russia-u.....a994e8b7e84286
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/europ.....ne-2024-02-03/ (3 Feb 2024)
Reuters[2]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europ.....28-2024-02-04/ (4 Feb 2024)
Al Jazera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024.....-in-lysychansk (4 Feb 2024)
Al Jazera[2]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024.....events-day-712
ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa.....pied-106930331
BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68203541
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/04/euro.....ntl/index.html
NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/.....led-rcna137136
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/russian-of.....kraine-1866841 (5 Feb 2024)
Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti.....k-bakery-blast (5 Feb 2024)
Fox: <I couldn't find any mention of it by 4 Feb 2024>
Radio Free Europe: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-app...../32806042.html (5 Feb 2024)
The Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024.....escuers-a83967 (4 Feb 2024)
The Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024.....-strike-a83974 (5 Feb 2024)
VOA: https://www.voanews.com/a/killed-in.....e/7470083.html (3 Feb 2024)
VOA: https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-ac.....y/7471140.html (5 Feb 2024)
-- and here are some news stories that briefly mention the deaths at the Lysychansk bakery/restaurant
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2.....now-on-day-711
The Guardian[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2.....now-on-day-713 (6 Feb 2024)
Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/.....-b2490202.html
ISW: https://www.understandingwar.org/ba.....ebruary-3-2024 (a one sentence mention in their 3-Feb-2024 report but no mention on 4-Feb-2024)
ISW[2]: https://www.understandingwar.org/ba.....ebruary-5-2024 (several sentences in their 5-Feb-2024 report)
I think it says something important about international/western media that it was willing to write/publish stories about the attack on the bakery in Lysychansk shortly after it happened based mostly on just the public statements from Russian officials -- the international news does not just ignore things that happen in the "occupied regions of Ukraine" that are still internationally recognized as Ukraine but have been annexed by Russia. For anyone who thinks that Voice Of America (VOA) is just USA propaganda, I suggest comparing their level-headed and non-speculative reporting of the event on 3 Feb 2024 and 5 Feb 2024 with some of the articles in the 'less objective' section below.
I'm going to avoid assigning blame or using words like 'war crime' until there is more information from reliable sources, since Russia conducts a lot of "information operations" and that unfortunately tends to make people suspicious about any reports that come only from Russian sources without independent verification (and Russia isn't especially friendly to independent journalists/reporters). When events like this first appear in the news there are always people who will say things like it was "obviously the other side" or a false flag operation or an errant air defense missile or pictures/video from a different time/place, but it may be a long time before we know what really happened at that bakery (a restaurant named Adriatic) in Lysychansk, if we ever do. However, unless the entire event was faked it does seem likely that over two dozen people in Lysychansk, some of whom were likely bakery/restaurant employees, died as a result of a war (or "special military operation", if you prefer) that has brought suffering and death to tens of thousands of civilians in Ukraine and even some in Russia.
Less objective reporting and opinion articles (that can help with understanding different viewpoints):
https://news.yahoo.com/another-top-.....134500414.html (this does not look 'unbiased', but it helps clarify a version of the story)
https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/02.....western-media/ (a pro-Ukrainian criticism of western initial media coverage of the event)
"Ukrainian authorities in the region of Lysychansk said the restaurant’s bakery had produced bread for Russian troops invading Ukraine and its premises were used for meetings by occupying Russian officials. Kyiv has yet to comment officially on the deadly strike." -- Radio Free Europe (5 Feb 2024)
"The Ukrainian regional public broadcaster Suspilne Donbas and the Kyiv Independent reported the bakery was set up after the Russian occupation of Lysychansk, and supplied Russian proxy forces, as well as providing a meeting place for Russian-backed officials. Suspilne cited the exiled, Ukrainian-run Lysychansk city military administration as saying: “The arrival [missile strike] was at a time when the occupiers had gathered there.”" -- The Guardian (6 Feb 2024)
If the unofficial Ukrainian version(s) above are true then this event reminds me of some Russian missile strikes on restaurants/cafes in Ukrainian-controlled cities/villages in 2023:
-- https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-new.....e3bd639f1f543c <or> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2.....-in-kramatorsk -- a daytime Russian missile attack on June 27th of 2023 on a pizza restaurant in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk that killed 13 and injured 61 people, including three Colombians. -- Russia called the pizza restaurant a "temporary military headquarters", or as The Guardian put it, "“The Russian Federation does not strike at civilian infrastructure,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Strikes are carried out on objects that are connected with military infrastructure in one way or another.” Later on Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry reported that the target hit in Kramatorsk was a “temporary command post” of the Ukrainian army, but provided no details of the strike." (also see the Wikipedia entry)
-- https://apnews.com/article/russia-u.....a55141fa82651e -- a Russian missile attack on October 5th of 2023 on a cafe hosting a funeral/wake in the small village of HROZA, Ukraine (Kharkiv region) that killed 59 people out of a population of ~300. (also see the Wikipedia entry)
Here is a old picture of Lysychansk (featuring a fox, because that's what the city is named for): https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47473855/
LiS7x is a FA member from Lysychansk (and has fled to safer areas of Ukraine): check their DA Journal here for news on their life as an "internally displaced person"
...
<I am trying to update this Journal as new information is reported, it is interesting to watch the story evolve over time. Latest update: 06 Feb 2024>
"Russian sources claimed on February 3 that Ukrainian forces conducted a HIMARS strike against a bakery in occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast." -- from ISW (a one sentence mention in their 3 Feb 2024 report)
"Russia says at least 28 people have been killed after Ukrainian forces shelled a bakery in the city of Lysychansk in the occupied eastern region of Luhansk," -- from Al Jazera (4 Feb 2024)
"Reuters was unable to independently verify the date of the footage or any other details of the report coming out of an area Russia annexed in July 2022 after months of heavy fighting." -- from Reuters (2024-02-03)
"Kyiv has not commented, but Ukrainian military bloggers have since claimed that "collaborators" and Russian officials were in the building at the time... Neither the death toll nor any other claims by either Russia or Ukraine have been verified by the BBC. Lysychansk, which is in the eastern Luhansk region, was captured by Russia in July 2022." -- from BBC (5 Feb 2024)
"A top Russian official was killed in a strike by Ukraine at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk in Ukraine's Luhansk region, officials announced on Monday. Alexey Poteleshchenko was the Kremlin-installed minister of emergency situations in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic [LPR] in Ukraine's Donbas region. He died in the attack on Saturday, Russian state-run news agencies RIA Novosti and Tass reported, citing sources. Poteleshchenko's death was later confirmed by the Kremlin-installed head of the self-proclaimed region, Leonid Pasechnik. "He was a courageous man with an iron character and huge fortitude. He defended the Luhansk People's Republic in the ranks of the People's Militia, then worked in the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the LPR," Pasechnik wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday. "We will definitely take revenge on the enemy for his death and for the deaths of all those who became victims of the inhumane shelling of Lysychansk," he said. Pasechnik said he personally knew Poteleshchenko "as a high-class professional." He extended his condolences to his family and friends. Citing representatives of Russia's Investigative Committee, Russian publication RTVI reported that the strike was likely carried out by Ukraine using a U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Newsweek couldn't independently verify if the weapons were used in the attack." -- from Newsweek (Feb 05, 2024)
"A Ukrainian strike on a bakery in the occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk over the weekend killed three officials, Russian-installed representatives said Monday. The Kremlin has blasted the attack that killed at least 28 people as a “monstrous terrorist act.” On Monday, authorities in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region said a local government minister and two deputies were among those killed. “During the brutal shelling of the bakery in Lysychansk, the emergency situations minister of the Luhansk People's Republic, Colonel Alexey Poteleshchenko, was killed,” the Moscow-appointed head of the region Leonid Pasechnik said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Luhansk is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed since invading the country nearly two years ago. Poteleshchenko fought in militia units for pro-Russian separatists against Ukraine before being appointed to the government post, Pasechnik said. Two municipal deputies were also killed in the attack, Mayor Eduard Sakhnenko said in a post on social media... Kremlin-backed officials in occupied Ukraine said 18 men, nine women and one child died when Ukrainian forces struck the building on Saturday." -- The Moscow Times (05 Feb 2024)
"A recent Ukrainian HIMARS strike on occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, killed at least one significant Russian occupation official. Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Head Leonid Pasechnik stated on February 5 that a February 3 Ukrainian HIMARS strike killed LNR Emergency Situations Minister Colonel Alexei Poteleshchenko, and other occupation officials claimed that the strike killed 28 people.[38] Some Russian sources claimed that many of the 28 killed were occupation officials, public prosecutors, and law enforcement officers who had gathered for a celebration.[39] ISW is unable to verify this claim, however." -- from ISW (5 Feb 2024 report)
"Russia has admitted that one of its senior occupation officials, Alexey Poteleshchenko, was among those killed when a supposed bakery in Russian-held Lysychansk was bombed. The Kremlin had previously characterised the casualties as civilians. Russian state-run news agencies RIA Novosti and Tass have now reported that Poteleshchenko was a former pro-Russian militiaman who, at the time of his death, was minister of emergency situations in the self-proclaimed, Russian-controlled Luhansk People’s Republic." -- The Guardian (6 Feb 2024)
-- here is an assortment of news articles about the incident in Lysychansk (most are based on information provided by the Russian administration with no independent verification yet):
AP: https://apnews.com/article/russia-u.....a994e8b7e84286
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/europ.....ne-2024-02-03/ (3 Feb 2024)
Reuters[2]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europ.....28-2024-02-04/ (4 Feb 2024)
Al Jazera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024.....-in-lysychansk (4 Feb 2024)
Al Jazera[2]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024.....events-day-712
ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa.....pied-106930331
BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68203541
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/04/euro.....ntl/index.html
NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/.....led-rcna137136
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/russian-of.....kraine-1866841 (5 Feb 2024)
Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti.....k-bakery-blast (5 Feb 2024)
Fox: <I couldn't find any mention of it by 4 Feb 2024>
Radio Free Europe: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-app...../32806042.html (5 Feb 2024)
The Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024.....escuers-a83967 (4 Feb 2024)
The Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024.....-strike-a83974 (5 Feb 2024)
VOA: https://www.voanews.com/a/killed-in.....e/7470083.html (3 Feb 2024)
VOA: https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-ac.....y/7471140.html (5 Feb 2024)
-- and here are some news stories that briefly mention the deaths at the Lysychansk bakery/restaurant
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2.....now-on-day-711
The Guardian[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2.....now-on-day-713 (6 Feb 2024)
Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/.....-b2490202.html
ISW: https://www.understandingwar.org/ba.....ebruary-3-2024 (a one sentence mention in their 3-Feb-2024 report but no mention on 4-Feb-2024)
ISW[2]: https://www.understandingwar.org/ba.....ebruary-5-2024 (several sentences in their 5-Feb-2024 report)
I think it says something important about international/western media that it was willing to write/publish stories about the attack on the bakery in Lysychansk shortly after it happened based mostly on just the public statements from Russian officials -- the international news does not just ignore things that happen in the "occupied regions of Ukraine" that are still internationally recognized as Ukraine but have been annexed by Russia. For anyone who thinks that Voice Of America (VOA) is just USA propaganda, I suggest comparing their level-headed and non-speculative reporting of the event on 3 Feb 2024 and 5 Feb 2024 with some of the articles in the 'less objective' section below.
I'm going to avoid assigning blame or using words like 'war crime' until there is more information from reliable sources, since Russia conducts a lot of "information operations" and that unfortunately tends to make people suspicious about any reports that come only from Russian sources without independent verification (and Russia isn't especially friendly to independent journalists/reporters). When events like this first appear in the news there are always people who will say things like it was "obviously the other side" or a false flag operation or an errant air defense missile or pictures/video from a different time/place, but it may be a long time before we know what really happened at that bakery (a restaurant named Adriatic) in Lysychansk, if we ever do. However, unless the entire event was faked it does seem likely that over two dozen people in Lysychansk, some of whom were likely bakery/restaurant employees, died as a result of a war (or "special military operation", if you prefer) that has brought suffering and death to tens of thousands of civilians in Ukraine and even some in Russia.
Less objective reporting and opinion articles (that can help with understanding different viewpoints):
https://news.yahoo.com/another-top-.....134500414.html (this does not look 'unbiased', but it helps clarify a version of the story)
https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/02.....western-media/ (a pro-Ukrainian criticism of western initial media coverage of the event)
"Ukrainian authorities in the region of Lysychansk said the restaurant’s bakery had produced bread for Russian troops invading Ukraine and its premises were used for meetings by occupying Russian officials. Kyiv has yet to comment officially on the deadly strike." -- Radio Free Europe (5 Feb 2024)
"The Ukrainian regional public broadcaster Suspilne Donbas and the Kyiv Independent reported the bakery was set up after the Russian occupation of Lysychansk, and supplied Russian proxy forces, as well as providing a meeting place for Russian-backed officials. Suspilne cited the exiled, Ukrainian-run Lysychansk city military administration as saying: “The arrival [missile strike] was at a time when the occupiers had gathered there.”" -- The Guardian (6 Feb 2024)
If the unofficial Ukrainian version(s) above are true then this event reminds me of some Russian missile strikes on restaurants/cafes in Ukrainian-controlled cities/villages in 2023:
-- https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-new.....e3bd639f1f543c <or> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2.....-in-kramatorsk -- a daytime Russian missile attack on June 27th of 2023 on a pizza restaurant in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk that killed 13 and injured 61 people, including three Colombians. -- Russia called the pizza restaurant a "temporary military headquarters", or as The Guardian put it, "“The Russian Federation does not strike at civilian infrastructure,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Strikes are carried out on objects that are connected with military infrastructure in one way or another.” Later on Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry reported that the target hit in Kramatorsk was a “temporary command post” of the Ukrainian army, but provided no details of the strike." (also see the Wikipedia entry)
-- https://apnews.com/article/russia-u.....a55141fa82651e -- a Russian missile attack on October 5th of 2023 on a cafe hosting a funeral/wake in the small village of HROZA, Ukraine (Kharkiv region) that killed 59 people out of a population of ~300. (also see the Wikipedia entry)
Here is a old picture of Lysychansk (featuring a fox, because that's what the city is named for): https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47473855/
LiS7x is a FA member from Lysychansk (and has fled to safer areas of Ukraine): check their DA Journal here for news on their life as an "internally displaced person"...
(also, never forget: whatever happens in this war, the sole reason and culprit of everything is russian facsism, nothing and no one else. Nothing would happen if they didn't feel so entitled to dictate other nations in the first place.)
"politcorrectness" has too high of a cost in this case.
*correction, he's suffering from this war all the way since 2014, has rather detailed logs on DA about it. Mostly in roosian though.
it's been 10 years of fascist russia committing crimes unpunished and, for the most part, "politically correctly" not called out by name. Hence all the horrors of today.
I am sorry for the civilians who died, because indeed russia often uses people in the occupied territories as expendable material for its propaganda...
Therefore, I honestly do not believe this information...