Five missile strikes in Ukrainian city of Lviv, Six killed

Six Ukrainians were killed, and eight other wounded in Lviv as five powerful missiles struck the western city, news agency Reuters reported quoting regional Governor. Fight also intensifying in the strategic port city of Mariupol, which according to Moscow, has been cleared.

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi took to Facebook on Monday to report multiple missile strikes in Lviv. “Five missiles struck the city,” he said as per news agency AP. “Emergency services have reached the spot and are responding to the blasts,” he said, adding that more details on the blast would follow soon.

Several witnesses also reported the explosions, reports said, which were believed to be caused by Russian missiles that struck the western Ukrainian city early Monday.

Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have been less affected by the fighting than other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Russia for “deliberate terror against odinary civilians” as Moscow continued shelling in the northeastern cities as well and further escalated aggression in the besieged city of Mariupol. He also accused the Russian troops in southern Ukraine of carrying out torture and kidnappings.

About five million Ukrainians have fled the country, cities have been shattered and thousands have died since the start of the invasion on Feb 24.

Russia said Ukraine had lost more than 4,000 soldiers in Mariupol as of Saturday. Kyiv says its total troop losses nationwide so far in the war are less than that, between 2,500 and 3,000 as it pledges to “fight to the end”.

Kyiv calls its action a special military operation to demilitarise Ukraine and eradicate what it calls dangerous nationalists. The West and Kyiv have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of unprovoked aggression.