At least eight people were killed and 23 injured by Ukrainian shelling in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine, Russia's state TASS news agency reported on Friday, citing an unidentified source in the emergency services.
The shelling destroyed a building in the village of Lantrativka and some people were trapped under rubble, TASS said.
Russian-backed officials from Luhank's representation to the Joint Centre of Control and Coordination - a ceasefire monitoring body set-up to help manage the conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces after 2014 - said Ukraine fired three U.S.-made HIMARS rockets at Lantrativka at 04:10 local time (0210 GMT) on Friday morning.
The head the "people's militia" in Luhansk also reported on his Telegram channel there were civilian casualties as a result of Ukrainian shelling on the town of Svatove on Friday morning. He provided no further details of the attack.
Reuters could also not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
