An apartment building in Lviv, western Ukraine, has been struck by a Russian rocket, resulting in the loss of four five lives.
Among the victims are two women aged 21 and 95. The mayor of Lviv described this as one of the most severe attacks on the city’s civilian infrastructure, with 40 people sustaining injuries. Over 30 houses were destroyed, according to Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of the Lviv region.
Ukraine’s air force has accused Russia of launching the missiles from the Black Sea.
As of now, there has been no official comment from Russia’s military regarding the reported attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged a substantial response to this assault by what he referred to as “Russian terrorists.”
Expressing his grief on Telegram, Mr. Kozytskyi stated, “Tonight, a rocket claimed the life of a young girl in her apartment in Lviv. She was only 21 years old. Russia is robbing us of our youth and our future.”
The number of victims of the Russian strike on #Lviv increased to 5, 40 more people were wounded. pic.twitter.com/na6TWbzUYS
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 6, 2023
Mr Kozytskyi said emergency services were still working to clear debris and rescue people who are feared to be trapped under rubble.
“There is a shelter next to the house that was hit by the missile,” he added.
“It is in good condition and was open at the time of the alarm. But, only five people were in the shelter from the entire building. Very disappointing.”
Dr Sasha Dovzhyk, who works at the Ukrainian Institute London but is currently in Lviv, described hiding in her bathroom when she heard the air raid siren.
“This is what we are supposed to do,” she told the BBC. “This is the Ukrainian routine.
“You are supposed to put two walls and preferably no windows, no glass, between yourself and the street, the outside.
“When the rocket, the missile, a Kalibr missile as we know now, hit the residential building 2km away, the walls in the bathroom where I was hiding shook, so the impact was quite strong.”
Tragedy struck Kramatorsk, an eastern city near the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, last week when a restaurant and shopping center were targeted, resulting in the loss of 13 lives, including children.
Despite being located in western Ukraine, far from the front lines in the south and east, Lviv has also experienced previous attacks orchestrated by Russia.
Just last month, officials in Lviv reported a drone attack on vital infrastructure within the city. These incidents serve as grim reminders of the ongoing threat posed by Russian aggression and the indiscriminate nature of the attacks, which not only impact the conflict zones but also extend to areas further away from the front lines.
