A 23-year-old police officer has died and 25 individuals sustained injuries following what Ukrainian officials have designated as a terrorist act in the western city of Lviv. The incident involved two improvised explosive devices detonating shortly after midnight on a Sunday. These devices were reportedly concealed within waste bins, according to information provided by the National Police of Ukraine.
Law enforcement crews had initially responded to a report of a break-in at a shop in the city center. The first explosion occurred as a police vehicle arrived at the scene. A second explosion took place shortly thereafter, when another police crew reached the location. Eleven people were subsequently admitted to hospital, with six of these individuals, including law enforcement officers, reported to be in serious condition.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the detention of an individual suspected of carrying out the terrorist attack. The Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, stated that the suspect is a Ukrainian woman. The police officer who was killed has been identified as Viktoria Shpylka. The national police noted on Telegram that she was only 23 years old and had begun her service at the outset of the full-scale invasion in the Kherson region.
The Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko, reported that police and the Security Service of Ukraine had apprehended the suspect. This individual is described as a 33-year-old resident from the northwestern Rivne region. Klymenko added that efforts are underway to identify any other individuals involved in perpetrating this crime. The regional prosecutor’s office has commenced an investigation into the “act of terrorism that led to grave consequences.”
Separately, Ukraine experienced another night of Russian strikes as the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion approached on Tuesday. Kyiv reported that its air defense systems had intercepted 50 Russian missiles and close to 300 drones overnight. President Zelensky stated that these attacks were directed at the energy sector, residential buildings, and railway infrastructure. In the Kyiv region, at least one person was killed, according to Regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk, while a woman and a child were hospitalized with injuries sustained during the attacks.