Ukrainian missiles attacked Russian-occupied military flight school in Luhansk – AeroTime

Attack in Luhansk / Ukrajinska Prawda

On the morning of July 19, 2024, at least 10 loud explosions occurred in temporarily occupied Luhansk, shaking the Luhansk Higher Military Aviation School, reports the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.

Several social media sites posted pictures and videos showing the explosion and rising smoke over the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which is currently occupied by Russian forces. According to a post by LX on X (formerly Twitter), air defenses shot down three ATACMS missiles over the city.

ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) are tactical ballistic missiles or artillery weapons designed to attack large targets such as airfields, control centers and air defense systems.

Ukrainian media sources reported that Russian air defense systems shot down several ATACMS missiles, but one of them hit the Higher Military Aviation School in Lugansk. The facility used to be the aviation school of Ukraine, but since the beginning of the war it has been converted into a military equipment base by the Russian occupiers.

The occupation authorities immediately declared an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces and confirmed that air defenses had been activated. There was no reaction from Ukrainian officials to the incident.

As UNIAN previously reported, 95% of Luhansk region is occupied, and only 45 people live in the liberated area. According to Artyom Lysohor, head of the Luhansk regional state administration, the majority of the population in the region is made up of elderly people.

“The situation is difficult,” said Lysohor. “There are 45 people left, that is 5% of the population of Luhansk. Even after the death of their neighbors, not everyone is in a hurry to leave. Last week, only four agreed to evacuate. Since the Russians have occupied almost the entire region, they can devastate the still liberated part of the region with various weapons.”

The Ukrainian armed forces have recently increasingly used drones and missiles to attack Russian military bases.