Mari Saito and Natalia Zinets

LVIV (Ukraine) – Four rockets struck Lviv, Ukraine on Saturday in the worst attack against the city since Russia’s war began.

Lviv lies just 60 kilometers (40 mi) away from the Polish frontier. Since Moscow’s February 24 invasion, heavy fighting has decimated other Ukrainian cities.

Five people were injured when two rockets struck a fuel depot, and then two more hit a military facility. Governor Maksym Kzytskyy stated that five others had also been hurt. His earlier reports indicated that there were powerful explosions on the outskirts of Lviv from the strike.

Stay in shelters After the initial strike, he advised that you should not venture out onto the streets.

As President Joseph Biden spoke in Warsaw, during his visit to Poland and condemned Russian aggression, the rockets were shot down. He also assured Ukraine of America’s support.

Lviv Mayor Andriy sadoviy stated in a televised briefing that Russia had launched rockets from Sevastopol (Crimea) which it annexed.

Russian authorities did not comment immediately on the Lviv invasions. However, they refer to the operation as “special military operations” that were meant to demilitarize Ukraine.

Although the precise locations were not provided by the city authorities, they said that the strike damaged crucial infrastructure and set fire to the fuel depot. They also blasted windows from a school building. According to the mayor, no residential properties were damaged.

Reuters witnessed in Lviv that heavy smoke rose from the northeast and that there was a strong smell.

Watching the smoke rise from behind an apartment block, men huddled on the streets to observe it. Many residents kept their doors shut, looking out of the windows from their homes while others ran past with bags.

Andriy Ermak, the chief of staff for Ukraine’s president, said that the Russians wanted to inflict Ukraine on foreign diplomats and those who had relocated to Lviv their embassies due to perceived safety relative to Kyiv.

He said that Ukraine should not be intimidated with such Russian crimes and urged Western partners to “close the sky, show force” on Telegram.

The reference was to Ukraine’s persistent request for a no-fly area, which NATO has rejected.

Lviv was home to a population of approximately 717,000 people in prewar times. However, for thousands fleeing from the violence in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions, Lviv has been transformed into a refuge for those who fled the conflict or as a hub of transit for refugees.

Two weeks ago, Russian missiles pounded a Ukrainian base that was located just 25km (15 mi) from Poland’s border.