At least four people, including two women aged 21 and 95, have been killed after a Russian rocket hit an apartment building in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Another 34 people were injured in what Lviv’s mayor described as “one of the biggest attacks” on the city’s civic infrastructure.
More than 30 houses have been destroyed, Lviv regional chief Maksim Kozytskyi said.
The Russian military has not commented on the alleged attack.
President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed a “firm” response to the overnight attack by “Russian terrorists”.
Writing on Telegram, Mr Kozytsky said: The youngest girl, who was killed by a rocket in her apartment in Lviv tonight, was only 21 years old. Russia is killing our youth. our future.
“The oldest person to die was 95. This woman survived World War II, but unfortunately, she didn’t survive apartheid.”
Mr Kozytsky said emergency services were still working to clear the debris and rescue people who were believed to be trapped under the debris.
“There is a shelter next to the house that was hit by the missile,” he added.
“It’s in good shape and was open at the time of the alarm. But, only five people were in the shelter out of the entire building. It’s very disappointing.”
Dr Sasha Duzik, who works at the Ukraine Institute in London but is currently in Lviv, said she hid in her bathroom when she heard air raid sirens.
“This is what we have to do,” he told JEE News. “This is the norm in Ukraine.
“You should put two walls between you and the street outside and preferably no windows, no glass.
“When the rocket, the missile, a caliber missile as we know it now, hit the residential building 2 kilometers away, the walls of the bathroom where I was hiding shook, so the impact was quite strong.”
Ukraine’s air force accused Russia of launching missiles from the Black Sea.
Posting on Telegram, Ukraine’s armed forces said “seven out of 10 Kalibr cruise missiles” were shot down, but said one rocket “changed direction” to the west and hit Lviv.
JEE News is unable to confirm these claims.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture also called on the United Nations’ cultural agency – UNESCO – to take action, as the explosions affected protected historical buildings in the city.
“We are immediately officially informing UNESCO about this and, as always, we await actions with more than just deep concern,” Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko wrote on Telegram.
“A state that respects neither the lives of people, nor the memory, nor the history of a foreign independent country, has no right to be a full member of international organizations.”
For months, Russia has launched deadly missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, often targeting civilian targets and causing widespread blackouts.
