Russian Defense Ministry says a Ukrainian strike on a hospital in annexed Luhansk has killed 14

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that Ukrainian troops used a HIMARS rocket launcher to shell a regional hospital in the village of Novoaidar, in a Russian-annexed area of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

According to a Defense Ministry announcement, the strike killed 14 people and injured 24 patients and medical personnel at the hospital. Both civilians and military personnel were being treated at the hospital, and both civilian and military medical staff were working there, according to the ministry.

The Russian side has used the strike on the hospital to accuse Ukraine of war crimes. “A deliberate strike on an active, known civilian medical facility unconditionally constitutes a war crime by the Kyiv regime,” said the Defense Ministry’s announcement.

Meduza cannot immediately verify these claims.

The Russian-appointed administration of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic has released footage of what it claims is the “aftermath of shelling of a Novoaidar hospital.” Meduza has not been able to confirm the authenticity of the footage, or the date when it was shot.

Ukrainian Armed Forces have not yet officially commented on the situation. Not long before the Russian side’s announcement, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai posted a photo from Novoaidar on Telegram, and wrote “something’s not right at the hospital where Rashists are being treated.” According to Haidai, dozens of people were killed.