One of the strikes hit the fuel storage facility, which caught fire, and the subsequent strike caused “significant damage” to the city’s infrastructure, said the city’s mayor Andrei Sadovy.
Earlier in the day three powerful explosions were heard in the center of the city, and worms of dense black smoke could be seen rising in the distance. Air strike sirens sounded before the bombings. Maksym Kozytsky, head of the Lviv regional military administration, later announced in his telegram account that there had been three more explosions following the strike at the fuel depot, “there is an air alarm.”
Elviv is a strategic Ukrainian city near the Polish border that was largely protected from the incessant bombardment seen throughout much of the country during the Russian invasion. It was a surprise attack a day after the Russian military announced that the first phase of the conflict was over and that it was turning its attention to the disputed eastern part of Ukraine.
The Russian military on Sunday confirmed attacks on fuel depots outside the western Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Kiev, saying it was targeting fuel supplies for Ukrainian troops.
At a conference on Sunday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed that Lviv had launched a separate strike on Saturday, saying that the restructuring and modernization of the Ukrainian armed forces was imminent.
Separately, Konashenkov said the missiles were fired at sea at a Ukrainian missile storage facility 30 kilometers southwest of Kyiv.
Satovi said in an update on Twitter on Sunday that it took firefighters 14 hours to put out the blaze.
A White House official later said that Biden had not called for a change of government, adding that “it is the president’s opinion that Putin should not be allowed to wield power over his neighbors or the region.”
Earlier in the day, Biden told the Ukrainian people: “We stand with you. Time.” According to a White House official, Biden was briefed on the strike on Liv before leaving the hotel for talks.
“Ukraine and its people are now at the forefront of the relentless struggle for democracy and freedom, and their courageous opposition is part of a larger struggle for the essential democratic principles that unite all free peoples,” Biden said.
Satovi early He said on Twitter on Saturday that Russian troops had attacked the city but did not provide detailed details. He urged residents to stay in shelters.
According to Sadovy, one of the Russian strikes resulted in the burning of an industrial facility in Lviv used for fuel storage.
“As a result of the missile attack, one of the industrial facilities burns down. This is fuel storage,” the mayor said. He did not specify whether this was the cause of the smoke.
“Livable infrastructure is not injured,” the mayor added.
Satovy later confirmed that another strike had hit Lviv, causing “significant damage” to the city’s infrastructure. He said the residential buildings were not damaged.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday that bus convoy trying to evacuate civilians had been stopped and detained by Russian forces, citing a pressure campaign to force some residents to flee to Russia.
In a statement, Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration, said the exit convoy of more than 50 buses from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia was held overnight at a Russian checkpoint in Vasylivka, 35 miles south. Zaporizhia. Stork said two ambulances carrying three children were in the convoy that needed emergency medical assistance.
Their primary focus is now on eastern Ukraine, after a top Russian general said on Friday that the “first phase” of Russia’s military program was over.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
“In general, the main tasks of the first phase of the process have been completed,” Colonel General Sergei Rutskoy, the first vice president of Russia’s civil service, told a conference. “The combat capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced.
After several days of Western leaders revealing their united front against Russia, Saturday’s strikes could be seen as a response by Putin and his military to Biden and the West.
The Russian military says it has not targeted civilians or civilians, despite widespread evidence to the contrary.
CNN’s Mohamed Tawfeek, Chandler Thornton, Guidlon Collins, Kevin Liptok and Megan Vasquez contributed to the report.
“Friend of animals everywhere. Devoted analyst. Total alcohol scholar. Infuriatingly humble food trailblazer.”