On 8 July 2023, at around 9:55 a.m., during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces shelled the residential area in the center of Lyman with 9M55K-series Smerch cluster munition. Lyman was at the time approximately 15 kilometers west of Russian-occupied territories. The bombing killed 9 civilians, while 13 were wounded.[2][3][4] It targeted the crossing of Nezalezhnosti and Dubonosa Streets, where locals were selling and trading vegetables grown in their gardens.[1]
| July 2023 Lyman cluster bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
A damaged building in Lyman after the attack
| |
| Location | Lyman, Ukraine |
| Date | 8 July 2023 |
| Target | Ukrainian civilians |
Attack type | cluster munition bombing |
| Deaths | 9[1] |
| Injured | 13 |
| Perpetrators |  Russia |
| Motive | Unknown |
It happened during Russia's failed military offensive towards Lyman. Due to the indiscriminate nature of these weapons used in densely populated areas, Human Rights Watch described these strikes as a possible war crime.[1] France likewise described this attack on civilians as a war crime and condemned Russia for it.[5]