Russian air attack on Ukraine’s western city of Lviv has killed seven people, including three children, according to Ukrainian officials.
Moscow has stepped up its aerial attacks after Ukraine’s surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.
The missile and drone strike on Lviv’s historic centre triggered renewed calls from Ukrainian officials for Western partners to provide air defence systems and long-range weapons to retaliate by attacking targets deep inside Russia.
“In total, seven people died in Lviv, including three children,” Internal Affairs Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said search and rescue operations were on in Lviv, located near the border with NATO member Poland, which has largely been spared over the last two and a half years of war.
Sirens rang out over Lviv before sunrise on Wednesday, according to Mayor Andriy Sadovy, who advised people to take shelter as air defences worked to down a barrage of missiles.
At least 40 people were wounded, the prosecutor’s office said, the attack damaging schools and medical facilities as well as buildings in the city centre.
The assault on Lviv was part of a wider barrage across Ukraine, with 13 missiles and 29 drones launched, the air force said, adding that it downed seven missiles and 22 drones
