Russian strikes hit Lviv near Ukraine-Poland border, killing at least seven

Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have seen only sporadic strikes during almost two months of war and have become a relative safe haven

A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting farther east was among the buildings badly damaged in the attack, the city’s mayor said

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Dark smoke rises following an air strike in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Monday. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:17pm, 18 Apr 2022Updated: 12:55am, 19 Apr 2022

Russian missiles hit the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Monday killing at least seven people, Ukrainian officials said.

Plumes of thick, black smoke rose over the city after a series of explosions shattered windows and started fires. Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have seen only sporadic strikes during almost two months of war and have become a relative safe haven for people from parts of the country where fighting has been more intense.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said seven people were killed and 12 wounded in overnight missile strikes. Lviv’s regional governor, Maksym Kozytskyy, said the Russian strikes hit three military infrastructure facilities and a tire shop.

He said the wounded included a child, and emergency teams were battling fires caused by the strikes.

Smoke billows from a building in Lviv on Monday following Russian missile strikes. Photo: SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting farther east was among the buildings badly damaged in the attack, the mayor said.

“The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv,” said Lyudmila Turchak, 47, who fled with two children from the eastern city Kharkiv. “There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe.”