Smoke rises from Luhansk oil refinery as governor blames Russian shelling

Smoke could be seen rising from an oil refinery outside Lysychansk after the regional governor claimed that Russian shelling had targeted the area.

Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk Oblast, shared a video on Tuesday (24 May) showing thick black smoke pouring from the refinery.

Posting the footage on Telegram, he wrote that Vladimir Putin's forces were targeting the Lysychansk-Bakhmut route, shelling the area “systematically.”

Mr Haidai added that Russians were also trying to surround the Lysychansk and Severodonetsk bridges to further isolate the area.

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