MOSCOW: In a concerning escalation of the ongoing conflict, Russia has initiated a significant air attack on Ukraine’s western regions of Lviv and Volyn, resulting in widespread damage to buildings, injuries to civilians, and forced evacuations, according to official sources.
While many incoming missiles were successfully intercepted, a number of strikes did hit Lviv, as reported by Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of the city, on the Telegram messaging app. Mayor Sadovyi also informed the public about the issuance of evacuation orders for at least one burning apartment complex. The extent of the damage incurred in Lviv remains unclear due to the scale of the attack.
Maxim Kozitsky, the governor of the Lviv region, revealed earlier that “groups of Russian missiles” had been detected en route to the region. Until now, the Lviv region had largely remained untouched by Russian air assaults, given its distance from the conflict’s front lines and its proximity to NATO-member Poland. However, in a tragic incident in July, a missile struck a residential building, leading to the loss of seven lives.
Preliminary reports from Ukrainian media suggest that Tuesday’s assault marks the most significant aerial attack on the Lviv region since Russia’s incursion into Ukraine began in February 2022. Reuters, however, has not yet been able to independently confirm these reports or verify the extent of the attacks on the region.
In the neighbouring Volyn region, Russia’s air raid targeted the city of Lutsk, resulting in damage to a business establishment and causing injuries to at least two individuals. Local authorities communicated this information through the Telegram platform. The Volyn region, situated to the north of Lviv, also shares a border with Poland.
The gravity of the situation prompted Ukrainian authorities to issue air raid alerts for the entire country, spanning approximately two hours and commencing around 2 a.m. (2300 GMT).
Further casualties and damage were reported in Ukraine’s southwestern region of Dnipropetrovsk, where an enterprise was struck by Russia’s attack, leading to a fire outbreak. Serhiy Lisak, the region’s governor, conveyed this information on the Telegram platform and mentioned that at least one person was injured.
