At approximately 3 a.m. on Thursday night, air raid sirens sounded in Lviv to signal an aerial assault. This was soon followed by the explosive sounds of Ukrainian anti-missile and air defense systems in action. Altogether residents of the city could hear three loud blasts with ground-shattering effects.
One of the Russian missiles fell on a multi-story apartment building on Stryiska Street 66 on the southern side of the historic city, causing the destruction of part of its third and fourth floors, as well as fire. At 6 am Mayor Sadovy reported the death of three civilians who were brought out from under rubble by first-responders. Later at 7:30 a.m., Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed a fourth fatality.
The strike completely destroyed the top two floors of three entrances of the apartment building, killing and injuring its residents. Large-scale rescue and search operations lasted all night. Rescuers say that inside the building collapsed almost to the ground floor. According to the latest reports, 10 people were killed and 42 were injured, including three children. 16 victims were hospitalized.
A two-day mourning period was announced in Lviv in memory of the victims.
The mayor of the city, Andriy Sadovyi, said that this is the largest attack on the civilian infrastructure of Lviv since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
More than 50 apartments were destroyed, entire residential buildings were just blown off the roof, an office complex was destroyed, there were destructions at the school and in the dormitories of Lviv Polytechnic. Hundreds of homes will need to be rebuilt. But we will do it all... The main thing is that, unfortunately, people died.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russians attacked Ukraine with cruise missiles from the Black Sea. The Russian Kalibrs were first flying toward Kyiv, and then abruptly turned toward Lviv. A total of 10 missiles were directed at the city, seven of which were destroyed by air defense forces.
Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, said that the hit on the house where the people died was direct and intentional.
"This is how the 'Russian world' came to Lviv," he said in a video against the backdrop of a destroyed house, adding that the main goal of the Russians was "the destruction of the Ukrainian people." Kozitsky also said that more than 30 houses, more than 50 cars, 10 dormitories, an orphanage, two universities and a sanatorium school were damaged in Lviv. One substation was also damaged, leaving 150 subscribers without electricity.
Russian authorities also commented on the attack on Lviv. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said, citing a source in the Russian Defense Ministry, "western armored vehicles, most likely British Challenger tanks, were on the territory of the military academy in Lviv, which was attacked." They added that the strike allegedly hit barracks housing about 800 Ukrainian military and foreign mercenaries who had arrived from Western training centers.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the attack’s victims and vowed vengeance. He further called the attack the act of “terrorists.” “There will definitely be a response to the enemy. A strong one,” Zelensky said.
For several months now, Russia has been launching deadly missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, hitting civilian targets.Last week, 13 people were killed in a shelling of a restaurant and shopping center in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, 40 kilometers from the front line.
Lviv is only about 70 kilometers from Ukraine’s border with Poland. It is located far from the epicenter of the fighting. Since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, it has been a key center for accepting and supporting internally displaced persons from other parts of Ukraine, as well as a hub for humanitarian projects. Yet, it has been hit by Russian strikes before. Last month, a drone attack in the city damaged critical infrastructure.
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland’s Halyna Pastushuk.
