A Russian missile strike overnight on Monday destroyed a kindergarten in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which is located near the border with NATO member Poland, officials said.
Lviv was struck as part of a large-scale air attack by Russia, with the northwestern region of Volyn—north of Lviv—also affected.
The city of Lviv is located some 40 miles from the Polish border. After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the city become a transit point for those seeking to flee the country. Poland joined NATO in March 1999.
Andriy Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv, said on his Telegram channel that air defense systems shot down "many missiles" but residential buildings were still hit in the attack.
"More than 100 apartments were damaged, more than 500 windows were broken, and a kindergarten was destroyed" after a missile flew into its yard, Sadovyi added.
Sadovyi said there were no deaths, while the region's governor, Maksym Kozytskyi, said that 15 people were injured in the region.
Yuriy Pohuliaiko, governor of the Volyn region, said three people were killed in the missile strikes and many were wounded. An industrial site in the regional capital Lutsk was hit in the attack, officials said.
Ukraine's air defense forces said they had shot down 16 out of at least 28 missiles launched by Russia.
Denise Brown, the United Nations resident coordinator in Ukraine, issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the strikes.
"Today, a wave of attacks shook cities in the west, north and centreof Ukraine, causing damage to homes, a kindergarten and other civilian infrastructure that are hundreds of kilometres away from the front line," said Brown.
She said the parts of country targeted in the overnight strike are "where millions of people are seeking safety and refuge after fleeing the horrors of Russia's invasion."
"Russia's persistent attacks hitting essential infrastructure in populated areas cause immense human suffering," added Brown. "This brutal pattern of civilian harm must stop."
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
Yury Ignat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, told Radio Svoboda on Tuesday that during Russia's overnight attack, the missiles aimed at Ukraine changed direction very quickly—part of a tactic to ensure that as many missiles as possible reach their target.
"They are still planning strikes, programming routes in such a way as to bypass our air defenses as efficiently as possible, using weak spots, using intelligence data, of course. Well, the missiles are constantly changing route," Ignat said.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
