Ukrainian airstrike in Luhansk region results in nine fatalities

A Ukrainian airstrike in the eastern, Russian-occupied Luhansk region on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of nine individuals, according to Leonid Pasechnik, the leader of Russia's occupying forces in the area. Pasechnik described the strike as 'a war crime,' stating that eight people were killed immediately, while a 20-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries shortly thereafter. The bus involved in the incident was reportedly carrying 15 people, with five others sustaining injuries. Amid failed US-brokered peace talks and ongoing tensions, both Kyiv and Moscow have intensified their air campaigns. On the same day, Ukrainian forces targeted logistics infrastructure, destroying a Wildberries warehouse in Russia's Tambov region, southeast of Moscow. The governor of Tambov reported that the facility, measuring 100,000 square meters (approximately 1.1 million square feet), was 'completely destroyed by fire.' Wildberries is recognized as Russia's largest online retailer. Ukrainian strikes on such facilities aim to disrupt military logistics, as Kyiv claims that Wildberries supports the military effort. Additionally, Kyiv has expanded its targeting to include Ozon, Russia's second-largest online retailer. An analysis by Reuters estimated that at least 1.9 million square meters of warehouse space has been severely damaged in recent Ukrainian drone attacks on over 20 Wildberries and Ozon facilities.