A Russian airstrike targeted a chemical plant in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, causing a dangerous cloud of toxic gas to rise into the air.

 The airstrike hit a tank containing nitric acid at a chemical plant in Severodonetsk, according to a Ukrainian official.  Pictures of the aftermath of the explosion show toxic orange smoke rising near several buildings as well as near Ukrainian forces.  The head of the Luhansk region warned civilians in Severodonetsk to stay in shelters, because inhaling toxic fumes can be dangerous.

 "Air strike in Severodonetsk. The racists hit a tank with nitric acid at a chemical plant," Serhiy Heyday, head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said in Telegram Tuesday, referring to the Russian strike.

 Sooner.. Residents of the area!  Do not come out of their hiding places!  Hayday added, explaining the dangerous effects of nitric acid fumes on humans.

 Ukrainian forces withdraw from a major city in Donbass mostly under Russian control

 No injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the air strike or the gas cloud.

 Reportedly, a video of the aftermath of the airstrike was shared on social media purporting to show Ukrainian forces near the blast site.  Smoke and gas from the explosion still billowed into the air as two soldiers appeared to be trapped in trenches in a wooded area.

 Other pictures of the cloud of smoke and gas show that the explosion occurred near several buildings that appear to be residential.

 Russian-backed forces in Luhansk have claimed that Ukrainian forces are hiding in shelters and in the Severodonetsk industrial zone, according to a report.

 Hayday said on Tuesday that Severodonetsk was mostly under the control of Russian forces.

 The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington, DC-based think tank, said Tuesday that it appears Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from the city.

 Severodonetsk is the last major city of Luhansk Province in the Ukrainian-controlled Donbas region.