The governor of Lugansk region, Sergey Gaidai, announced that Russian forces bombed a tank containing nitric acid at a chemical plant in the city of Severodonetsk (eastern Ukraine), which they are trying to control, and called on residents to stay in shelters.
Gaidai explained on Telegram that an air strike carried out by Russian forces "hit a tank containing nitric acid in a chemical factory. ... Nitric acid is dangerous if inhaled, swallowed or comes in contact with the skin."
He called on residents of the city, which has been witnessing fierce battles for days, to "equip protective face masks impregnated with soda solution."
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia's targeting of a chemical facility with an air strike was "insanity."
"It is no longer surprising that any act of insanity is completely acceptable to the Russian army, Russian commanders and Russian soldiers," said a video posted on Telegram this evening.
The pro-Moscow separatist authorities said the tank "exploded" in an area controlled by Ukrainian forces.
"At the Azot plant, I blew up a container containing chemicals. In principle, it's nitric acid," Rodion Mironchik, representative of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic, said via Telegram.
Gaidai announced that Russian forces now control most of the city of Severodonetsk, which is a major target of the Russian army.
The Source
- Agencies