Russian airstrike on the city of Lviv in western Ukraine

Russian airstrike on the city of Lviv in western Ukraine

The city of Lemberg (Lviv), in western Ukraine, was rocked by explosions on Tuesday. Both mayor Andriy Sadowy and regional governor Maksym Kosytskyi appealed to the population to stay in shelters as more attacks are expected. There has been an air alert over the western half of Ukraine since around 2am local time (1am CEST). Just hours earlier, there were reports of Russian rocket launches in the city of Kharkiv.

According to local authorities, air defense systems in Lviv are busy repelling a Russian air attack. The city is key to Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s war of aggression because it is considered a center for Western arms deliveries. The Russian attack occurred just hours before the start of a meeting of the international coalition of Ukraine supporters at the North American air base in Ramstein, Germany. It is likely that further deliveries will be agreed there.

Previously, Russian missiles also flew to the Kharkiv metropolis in eastern Ukraine. “Kharkiv is being bombarded again by Russian missiles,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. “According to initial information, the central districts are being attacked.” Several other Telegram users reported explosions in the city.

Apparently there were also air attacks in the opposite direction. As authorities in the Belgorod border region in southern Russia reported, air defense was able to shoot down three “air targets” over the south of the region.