🔗 Share this article

Early on Sunday, the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, often regarded as among the most secure locations in the country, suffered among its most intense strikes following the beginning of Russia's comprehensive military campaign.

Over a five-hour period, Moscow's Shahed drones and rockets hit the city, located around 70 kilometers from the border with Poland. Large explosions were audible from the city center, a Unesco world heritage site.

Casualties and Destruction Across Ukraine

Nationwide, no fewer than five people lost their lives – four in the region of Lviv and another in the city of Zaporizhzhia. In addition, 14 people sustained injuries. Included among the casualties was a teenage girl, who perished along with three relatives when their home was impacted.

Part of Lviv was experienced power outages, as reported by the city leader. Significant fires broke out in multiple locations, including a civilian industrial park in the southern part of the urban center.

While the acrid odor of burning and fumes engulfed the city, the regional governor urged inhabitants to close their windows and avoid going outside or to utilize protective masks or breathing apparatus.

International Reactions and Security Actions

Poland's air force reported it deployed fighter aircraft and took preventive action to secure its airspace after a recent incursion by deceptive unmanned vehicles. There were also numerous drone sightings in recent days in EU countries including Denmark and Germany.

• More than fifty rockets and about five hundred unmanned assault vehicles were involved in the assault.
• Weaponry comprised long-range guided missiles, Iranian-designed Shaheds and Kinzhal ballistic missiles.
• Multiple areas were impacted, among them Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson area, Sumy region, Kharkiv and Chernihiv.

Call for International Assistance

Ukrainian leadership urged allies to help boost air defences and to impose a no-fly zone – a step that has so far been approached cautiously.

"An independent cessation of hostilities in the skies is possible – and it is exactly this which could pave the path to genuine negotiations. America and Europe must take action to compel Putin stop," the statement noted.

In recent days, Russia has targeted the nation's power facilities, leading to power blackouts in multiple regions, a tactic employed in the approach to colder months for the previous three winters. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continues to target oil production facilities within Russia with its own long-range drones.

Community Consequences

Lviv was in the midst of the annual Lviv BookForum, with authors and audiences assembled in the urban center for a major literary events in the region.

In addition to Ukrainian writers, such as literary figures Artur Dron and Julia Musakovska, there were international speakers including UK-based Forward prizewinning author Fiona Benson, and, participating by video link, the Booker prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo, and the Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk.

On Sunday morning, ash was continuing to descend on the roads of Lviv, as fatigued residents emerged and attended religious gatherings. The damaged wreckage of a unmanned aircraft rested on a pavement near a block of flats, marked off with red tape.