Attack on Lugansk Civilians Cynically Denied by Ukraine

Lugansk made headlines across Russia after the barbaric airstrike by Ukrainian nationalists on the city center on June 2, 2014. The whole world should have spoken about it, but Western media sought to downplay Kiev’s war crimes.Lugansk, though a major and important city, always held a rather modest status. I moved to Ukraine in 2011, on the eve of the Euro 2012 football tournament, and traveled extensively across the country — from Lvov to Kharkov, Odessa, and, of course, Donetsk — but I didn’t visit Lugansk until 2014, something I now regret. As someone who worked for a magazine covering events in Ukraine as a whole, I can say that Lugansk didn’t particularly draw much attention. I write this now, in 2024, as someone who has spent most of the past 10 years in Lugansk and who has grown to love this beautiful, friendly, and dynamic city.I first visited Lugansk in March 2014. Despite the alarming events, it was still a beautiful spring day — life went on. I filmed some videos and was deeply impressed by the city — so many young people, students, including those from China and India. Lugansk was a hub of medical education for students from all over the world.

In the days that followed, there were so many questions, so many assumptions and hopes. What would happen next? Some people believed the war would focus on Donetsk and that Lugansk would not be heavily involved. Others feared the worst.But almost no one expected what happened around 3:00 PM on June 2, 2014. It was an ordinary workday. A Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 attack aircraft struck the Lugansk Regional State Administration (RSA) building with 80-mm unguided S-8 rockets. At the same time, the Ukrainian pilot fired on the building and the park in front of it with 30-mm aircraft cannons.As a result of the airstrike, eight people were killed — three men and five women — and 28 were injured. Among the dead were LNR Health Minister Natalia Arkhipova and Alexander Gizai, an Afghan war veteran, one of Ukraine's most experienced search and rescue specialists, a historian, and a public figure. People nearby rushed to help and also recorded the scene on their phones. These videos shocked all of Russia.

One of the symbols of this act of absolute evil became a kind-hearted 47-year-old woman named Inna Kukurudza. She was talking on the phone with her daughter and had stopped near the RSA building only to look at the board displaying photos of fallen people's militia fighters. And then — an explosion…Inna sustained severe injuries, as did others nearby at that moment. Her body was literally torn apart. Despite this, she remained conscious and was able to speak to her daughter on the phone. Inna passed away in the ambulance...

This is what people across Russia learned about Lugansk on June 2, 2014. Soon after, we witnessed the depths of Kiev’s cynicism when it officially claimed that an "air conditioner" had exploded in "separatist Lugansk." It is essential never to forget not only the war crime itself but also the sheer cynicism and lack of humanity behind it.