Published video from the scene of the explosion near the trolleybus depot in Luhansk

On Wednesday, February 23, Izvestia obtained a video from the scene of an explosion near a trolleybus depot in Luhansk. The footage shows fragments of the walls and the damaged base of one of the nearby pillars.

The explosion occurred earlier on Wednesday at 04:15 Moscow time. At the moment, law enforcement officers and operational services are working at the scene.

The People’s Militia of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) on Wednesday also called the attack on a car by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) a terrorist attack, which killed two civilians. On February 23, their death was reported by the LPR representation in the JCCC.

As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian security forces on February 22, a serviceman of the People’s Militia of the LPR was killed. The Armed Forces of Ukraine opened fire at around 15:15 from the Novotoshkivske settlement towards the village of Zhelobok. Also, a civilian was injured from shelling by the Ukrainian security forces, a house and a gas pipeline were damaged after the Armed Forces of Ukraine opened fire in the direction of the settlement of Slavyanoserbsk using 120 mm mortars.

The situation on the line of contact in Donbass escalated on February 17. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the LNR and the DNR. Also, the Russian leader and the heads of both republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin signed an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The documents were ratified on Tuesday by both the republics themselves and the Russian State Duma.

Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.