At least 28 people killed in shelling of a bakery in Russian-occupied Ukraine

Moscow-based authorities say at least 28 people have been killed in Ukrainian shelling at a bakery in the Russian-held city of Lisichansk.

At least one child was among the dead on Saturday, local leader Leonid Paschanik wrote in a statement on Telegram. He said 10 other people were rescued from the debris by emergency services.

Ukrainian officials in Kiev did not comment on the incident.

Both Moscow and Kiev have relied on long-range attacks this winter amid a largely unchanged situation along a 1,500-kilometre (930-mile) front in the nearly 2-year-old war.

However, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement on Sunday that Ukrainian forces have been facing intense Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, with sustained attacks on the front line.

Fighting is particularly fierce in the eastern town of Avdiivka, where Moscow is attempting to encircle Kiev’s troops, officials said, while Ukrainian forces are also on the defensive in Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut and Zaporizhia.

The military administration of Ukraine’s Sumy region said on Sunday that Russian forces had shelled the region in 16 separate attacks the previous day, hitting the border communities of Yunakivka, Bilopilia, Krasnopilia, Velika Pysarivka and Esman.

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