Sunday has been declared a day of mourning in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic The death toll from a Ukrainian missile strike on the city of Lisichansk in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) has risen to 28, the region’s acting head and the emergencies services have said.

Reports of Valery Zaluzhny’s dismissal reveal problems with “media hygiene” in the country, state-run censor claims Rumors suggesting Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had fired the country’s commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, were spread to destabilize Ukraine, censorship body the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (CSCIS) has insisted.

Russia and Belarus are countries that are prepared to work with the West but only if there is mutual respect, presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko agreed during a face-to-face meeting in Sochi on Monday.