- Over 70 buildings damaged, including seven architectural monuments.
- Five injured, including a child; damage to schools and businesses.
- Scrambled aircraft again due to proximity to Lviv.
On Wednesday, local officials reported that a Russian drone and missile attack overnight struck Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, near the NATO border with Poland. The assault resulted in the deaths of seven people, including three children.
The attack not only claimed lives but also inflicted damage on historic buildings in the city’s center. This assault follows the deadliest single attack of the war this year, which occurred the previous day. Russia targeted a military institute with two ballistic missiles, killing 50 people and injuring hundreds more.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged allies to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against ongoing Russian attacks by supplying additional air defense systems. He emphasized the need for long-range Western weapons to be used deeper within Russian territory to counter the threat more effectively.
Zelenskiy reiterated that increasing Ukraine’s long-range capabilities is crucial in combating what he described as “terror” from Russian forces. He argued that those advocating for enhanced military support are directly contributing to preventing such Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Russia has not yet commented on the recent strikes on Lviv or the earlier attack on Poltava. However, on Wednesday, Moscow warned that it would deliver an “extremely painful” response if Ukraine conducts long-range strikes on Russian territory.
During Russia’s latest assault, Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down seven out of 13 missiles and 22 out of 29 drones targeting the country. In Lviv, the casualties included a nine-year-old and a 14-year-old, as confirmed by regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi via the Telegram messaging app. Additionally, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that approximately 40 people were injured in the attack.
Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, reported on national television that over 70 buildings, including schools, homes, and clinics, had been damaged in the recent attack.
Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported that the recent attack on Lviv damaged at least seven local architectural monuments. These buildings, located in the city’s historic area and UNESCO buffer zone, are part of the World Heritage site protection efforts.
On Wednesday, Russia also targeted the city of Kryvyi Rih, injuring five people, including a 10-year-old child, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak. The attack in Kryvyi Rih caused damage to four educational institutions, a hotel, a pharmacy, and several shops.
In the past ten days, Russia has launched a barrage of missiles and drones against Ukraine. Some Russian military bloggers describe this as Moscow’s response to a recent Ukrainian incursion into its territory, which is ongoing.
Meanwhile, Poland has scrambled its aircraft for the third time in eight days to safeguard its airspace, as reported by the Polish armed forces’ operational command. Lviv is situated approximately 70 km (43 miles) from the Polish border. The command noted on X that this has been another challenging night for Poland’s air defense system due to Russian long-range aviation strikes.
Moscow has consistently denied targeting civilians during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began over 30 months ago. Instead, Russia claims that its targets are Ukrainian military, energy, and transport infrastructure.
