LUHANSK. Jan 26 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian military have launched massive strikes on the towns of Stakhanov and Kirovsk in the Luhansk region.

"Ukrainian troops have started firing heavy weapons into the towns of Stakhanov and Kirovsk. All residents are in basements and other shelters," the Luhansk information center reported, citing a spokesperson for the leader of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Igor Totnitsky.

According to the center, earlier on Monday the army shelled the town of Yuzhnaya Lomovatka

For his part, the governor of the Luhansk region, Hennadiy Moskal, claims that militias "have fired Grad rockets on Stanitsa Luhanskaya and the adjacent villages."

"The most affected were the village of Artyom and an area in the town of Staraya Kondrashovka. In Artyom, houses were damaged and demolished, reports about casualties are being verified