Russians drop two guided aerial bombs on Lyman and injure five people

The Russians dropped two 250-kg guided aerial bombs on the city of Lyman in the Donetsk Oblast, injuring at least five civilians on July 16, 2024.

The attack damaged a residential building, a business, three shops, and a car.

“On July 15, 2024, at 16:00, Russian occupation forces attacked the town of Lyman with FAB glide bombs and unified multipurpose glide bombs (UMPBs). As a consequence, the strike injured five civilians. In particular, a man, 50, and his wife, 49, who were outside in the street, were hospitalised with blast injuries, multiple shrapnel wounds and bruises. Two women aged 45 and 50 were also injured. In addition, a postal worker, 27, was injured in the enemy attack,” the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Vadym Filashkin, head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, emphasized that Russian forces deliberately target civilians and urged locals to evacuate:

“Do not put yourselves in danger! Evacuate!” he appealed to the city’s residents.

Moreover, on the morning of July 16, rescue workers recovered the bodies of a couple – a woman, 67, and a man, 69 – from the rubble of a residential building in Myrnohrad. Russian forces struck the house on July 14. The incident raised the death toll from the strike to three. 

Earlier, the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration reported that Russian Armed Forces killed six residents of Donetsk Oblast on 12 July: four in Myrnohrad and two in Kostiantynivka.

The attack wounded another 22 people in Donetsk Oblast that day. Precisely, nine people were injured in Myrnohrad, three in Kostyantynivka, and seven in Lyman. Three more people in Chasiv Yar, Novomykolayivka and Leonidivka also sustained injuries.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched 700 guided aerial bombs and almost 80 missiles against Ukraine over the past week.

“Just since the beginning of this week, Russia has used more than 700 guided aerial bombs, more than 170 attack drones of various types, and almost 80 missiles against Ukraine. The scale of this evil must be matched by the scale of solutions to protect lives. Each ally can influence the situation and strengthen the defense against terror,” he said.

At a news conference on July 15, Zelenskyy said that from the perspective of the Ukrainian air defense structure, 25 systems are needed to fully cover Ukraine.

By way of background, the Russian Federation remains impervious to calls (appeals, demands, pressure?) from various countries and international organisations to halt its war against the Ukrainian people and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously appealed to world leaders who are still not on board with the Global Peace Summit to join the collective effort. He called on them to show leadership in advancing real peace, not just a pause between strikes.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) pointed out that Ukraine’s demands for a peace plan are justified, while Russia’s are a violation of international law.

According to the ISW, Ukraine continues to assert its readiness to negotiate with Russia on terms that comply with international law. This stance sharply contrasts with Russia’s insistence on total Ukrainian capitulation.

On 15 July, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that plans for a second peace summit should be finalised by November 2024, and Russia needs to participate. Ukraine will organise a series of meetings in preparation for the summit, in particular:

• an energy security conference in Qatar in late July or early August 2024;
• a freedom of navigation discussion in Türkiye in August 2024;
• a session on prisoner-of-war exchanges and the repatriation of deported Ukrainian children in Canada in September 2024.

These issues were central to the first Global Peace Summit initiated by Ukraine in Switzerland in June 2024.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, recent statements from the Kremlin underscore Russia’s rigid position on negotiations. Russian officials have indicated they will not attend the second peace summit, deeming its terms unacceptable given their demands.

ISW continues to contend that Putin’s conditions for Ukrainian capitulation would enable Russian Forces and occupation administrations to perpetuate their large-scale ethnic cleansing campaigns in occupied Ukraine. The complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is essential to liberate its people from Russian occupation. 

Photos: Vadym Filashkin