Russia fired cruise missiles on Thursday at a western Ukrainian town far from the front lines of the war and killed at least five people in an apartment buildingin what authorities say was the worst attack on civilian areas in Lviv since Kremlin forces invaded the country last year.
The overnight attack destroyed the roof and the top two floors of a residential building, injuring 34. Emergency teams, aided by sniffer dogs, searched through the rubble. The youngest victim was 21 and the oldest 95, said Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the region’s military administration. “This woman survived World War II, but unfortunately she has not survived” the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said.
The street in front of the building, which leads to a small park with swings and climbing frames among the trees, was littered with rubble and wrecked parked cars. Some 60 apartments and 50 vehicles were damaged in the attack, said the city’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, announcing two days of official mourning.
US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink described the attack as “ruthless”.
“Russia’s repeated attacks on civilians are absolutely horrific,” he tweeted.