Russia Plans To Bomb Hospital In Occupied Luhansk Then Blame It On Ukraine: Report

The Russian army is planning to bomb a hospital in the temporarily occupied region of Luhansk and blame it on the Ukrainian military, according to a report.

The information was reported by the National Resistance Center (NRC), an underground resistance movement. It also added that the Russian army will likely target a medical ward where civilians are receiving treatment.

In addition to bombing the hospital, the NRC said Moscow will likely use the attack to create material for Russian propaganda and manipulate residents in temporarily occupied territories to believe that the strike was carried out by Ukrainian forces.

The resistance movement is now calling on residents of Russian-occupied territories to "be careful as possible near civil infrastructure facilities."

The NRC's report comes as the Luhansk region continuously suffers from shelling by the Russian army. Serhiy Hayday, the regional governor of Luhansk Oblast, said Russian forces are constantly shelling de-occupied settlements across the province. In the town of Novoselivka, for instance, Russian forces did not leave a single house intact, according to his Telegram post.

"Unfortunately, there are tragic cases. A few hours ago, as a result of such hostile shelling, two local residents were wounded and two died," Hayday said, as translated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Russian forces are also constantly shelling the town of Bilohorivka, located west of Lysychansk. However, Ukrainian forces in the area have improved their positions and are "firmly holding" their defenses.

The NRC's report also comes after an intelligence update from the UK Ministry of Defense suggested that Russia is working on improving defenses in preparation for Ukrainian future counteroffensives.

The intel report suggested that a counteroffensive could focus on either the northern Luhansk region—which would undermine Russia's aim of "liberating" Donbas; or the Zaporizhzhia region—which could pose a challenge to the viability of the land bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian region of Rostov.

As of Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops are focusing their greatest effort on capturing the town of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine's military insists the situation in Soledar is "under control" and dismissed Russian reporting that the town was "close to liberation."