Russian-appointed officials in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region accused Kyiv on Friday of firing rockets at an industrial complex in the region’s main city, about 100 km behind the front line, Reuters reported. Russian channels complain that Luhansk was hit by a silent missile rather than HIMARS, and Russian propaganda channels say that Ukraine used an ADM-160 MALD decoy missile in the attack.

LuhanskPhoto: STRINGER / AFP / Profimedia

The Americans never reported this decoy missile.

“A part of the ADM-160 MALD decoy missile was discovered near the site of the Ukrainian missile attack in the city of Luhansk; This missile was developed and produced by the United States and was never announced for Ukraine,” the Open Source channel OSINTdefender reports.

A video posted on social media shows a large column of thick black smoke rising over the city of Luhansk from what authorities say is an industrial facility hit by two missiles fired from Ukraine.

Because the city is far from Ukrainian positions, the alleged strikes have prompted speculation among analysts that Ukraine may have used a new missile with a longer range.

Leonid Pasechnyk, head of the Russian-imposed region, which Russia claims as its territory, said the attack was carried out to disrupt local Republic Day celebrations in the region.

Reuters could not confirm these claims. There was no immediate official reaction of Kyiv to the attacks.

“Suspilne Donbas” TV channel reported on the explosions in the city with reference to local residents who said that the explosions occurred in the central area near the plant.

The city of Luhansk is located in the deep east of Ukraine, approximately 30 kilometers from the Russian border and 100 kilometers from the fighting front. This puts it beyond the range of most shorter-range missiles, such as the US-supplied HIMARS, which Ukraine has used primarily in the conflict.

Britain said this week it had delivered more Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving Ukrainian forces a new long-range strike capability ahead of a long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces that can hit targets 300 kilometers away.

Earlier this year, the United States said it would begin supplying Ukraine with small-diameter land-based bombs (GLSDB), GPS-guided “smart bombs” that have a range of about 150 kilometers.

The MALD-J is a decoy missile that disrupts the missile defense system and has been in use by the US Air Force since 2012.