In a highly unusual move, Russia initiated a widespread daytime assault across Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon, deploying more than 400 drones. Cities in the western regions of the country were reportedly hit.
The Bernardine monastery, a significant 16th-century site recognized by UNESCO, sustained damage. Footage circulated by Lviv authorities depicted flames engulfing the roof of a residential structure located in proximity to the monastery.
Beyond Lviv, three other western Ukrainian cities – Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, and Ternopil – were also subjected to attacks.
Casualties and Damage Reported in Western Ukraine
The head of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Svitlana Onyshchuk, confirmed that two individuals lost their lives. Four others, including a six-year-old child, sustained injuries. Reports indicate damage to various buildings within the city, including its maternity hospital.
Meanwhile, in Lviv, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported that thirteen people had been injured, cautioning that this figure might rise. These strikes occurred mere hours after a substantial overnight attack that claimed at least five lives.
Earlier Overnight Attacks Detail Further Losses
Authorities reported that a 61-year-old woman died when a drone struck an electric train in Kharkiv early on Tuesday. Additional fatalities were recorded in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Poltava regions.
While four years of ongoing conflict have impacted nearly every part of Ukraine, the western areas have historically experienced less intense and frequent attacks compared to regions closer to the Russian border in the east.
Air Force Command Describes Scope and Tactics
Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, addressed the situation late Tuesday afternoon. He stated that a “large number of drones” had breached Ukrainian airspace from the country’s north, advancing in what he described as “columns.”
Ihnat noted that the geographical spread of the daytime strikes was wider than those occurring at night. He characterized the event as potentially one of the most significant attacks within a single 24-hour period.