Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday described a pair of explosions in Lviv as a “cynical and brutal terrorist act” that was “organized by Russia.”
Two explosions rocked the western Ukrainian city in the early hours, killing a 23-year-old policewoman and injuring 25 others.
“This was a terrorist attack,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel, adding that police have detained a female Ukrainian national.
Police said that the detained woman was a 33-year-old Ukrainian who had made and planted the bombs herself on behalf of Russian intelligence services.
Zelensky said the “perpetrators were recruited via Telegram.”
“We have intelligence indicating that the Russians intend to continue carrying out such actions – in effect, attacks on Ukrainians,” said the president. “We must strengthen protection for our people.”
Zelensky expressed his condolences to the victim’s relatives and declared that everything necessary would be done to investigate the terrorist attack. Moscow has not responded to the allegations.
Security forces had initially responded to a reported break-in at a shop near Lviv’s old town.
Police said the first explosion went off shortly after midnight as they arrived, followed by a second blast just after reinforcements reached the scene.
The Lviv region is located in western Ukraine near the Polish border.
The region has become a refuge for many internally displaced people who fled the fighting in eastern Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion, which enters its fifth year on Tuesday.
At the same time, Lviv has repeatedly been targeted by Russian missile and drone strikes, underscoring that even areas far from the front lines remain vulnerable.
One dead, 15 injured in Russian airstrikes
Russia carried out a further wave of airstrikes overnight, leaving one person dead and 15 injured.
Four children were hurt in the Kiev region while a 49-year-old was killed, the regional administration said.
“The main target of the attack was the energy supply, but normal residential buildings were also damaged, and there was damage to the railway,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
Russia attacked with almost 300 drones and 50 missiles and cruise missiles, Zelensky added.
In addition to Kiev, the areas of Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Poltava and Sumy were also affected.
“Moscow continues to invest more in attacks than in diplomacy,” Zelensky said, referring to the negotiations between the warring parties, in which no peace is in sight so far.
This week alone, Russia deployed over 1,300 combat drones, more than 1,400 glide bombs and 96 rockets and cruise missiles, according to the president.
“That is why we must strengthen our air defence,” Zelensky stressed, adding that that Ukraine needs systems that can respond to ballistic missiles. “Each such package protects critical infrastructure and maintains normality of life.”
Russia also reports Ukrainian attacks
The Russian Defence Ministry said that objects used by the armed forces in Ukraine had been attacked, including a centre for drones and components for unmanned aerial vehicles. At the same time, the ministry reported the shooting down of dozens of Ukrainian drones.
In the afternoon, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that several drones had been shot down as they approached the Russian capital. The air traffic authority announced that the four Moscow airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky were temporarily not allowing take-offs and landings due to the danger.
