[ad_1]
Lviv, July 7 (Xinhua) — Russia fired a cruise missile at a city in western Ukraine far from the front lines of the war, killing at least six people in an apartment building in what officials said was the worst hit in a civilian area of ​​Lviv since the Kremlin incident. Serious attack. Last year, the army invaded the country.
Emergency crews with search dogs entered the ruins of the building after Thursday night’s attack destroyed the roof and the top two floors. At least 36 people were injured, according to authorities.
Read also | Heavy rains in Pakistan: Torrential rains in Punjab kill 17 and injure at least 49.
Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said the youngest among the dead was 21 and the oldest was a 95-year-old woman. “This woman survived World War II, but unfortunately, she didn’t survive Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Kozycki said.
Debris and wrecked cars lined the street outside the building, which overlooks a small community park with swing sets and other playground equipment.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said a woman’s body was pulled from the rubble late Thursday, bringing the death toll to six. Seven survivors were rescued from the wreckage and 14 people were hospitalized, Kozycki said. About 60 apartments and 50 cars were damaged in the strike area, Sadovyi said. He declared two days of official mourning.
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brinker, called the attack “vicious”.
“Russia’s repeated attacks on civilians are absolutely appalling,” she tweeted.
The Ukrainian air force reported that it intercepted seven of 10 Kalibr cruise missiles fired by Russia from the Black Sea at around 1 a.m. on Thursday at the Lviv region and its namesake city, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles away) )Far.
Kremlin forces have repeatedly attacked civilian areas during the war, though Russian officials say they only select targets of military value.
Lviv is close to Poland’s western border and more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the war fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine, where Kiev’s counteroffensive to drive out Russian troops is in the early stages.
Addressing residents in a video, Mayor Sadowi said it was the largest attack on Lviv’s civilian infrastructure since last year’s invasion.
Lviv resident Ganna Fedorenko suffered injuries to her face, with a Band-Aid on her cheek red with blood. She folded her hands over her chest as she responded to the attack.
“The Russians are hitting us. That’s how they love us. I’m sorry for those who were killed. They were young. So sorry for them,” she said. “It was horrific. They attacked civilians.”
The Home Office said 64 people had to leave their homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised “response to the enemy. Real response”.
Later on Thursday, he was on an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the new pro-Western government, with arms supplies and Ukraine’s accession to NATO on the agenda.
The Ukrainian Air Force’s nightly update of the missile’s course showed that the missile first flew towards the Kiev region before turning west towards Lviv. Russia routinely reroutes missiles and drones to look for weaknesses in Ukraine’s air defenses.
Early in the war, Lviv was a major transit point for millions of refugees from different parts of the country crossing the border into Europe. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from the east and south remain in Lviv, which is calmer and safer.
Like the rest of the country, Russia launched hundreds of missiles over the winter aimed at knocking out Ukraine’s energy system, causing Lviv to suffer blackouts. However, attacks in the city are not as frequent as in the capital, Kiev, and Thursday’s strike came as a deep shock to many in the city.
Ukrainians shared messages of support for Lviv residents on social media. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a syndicated news feed, the latest staff may not have modified or edited the body of content)
[ad_2]
Source link