Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said several rockets hit an aircraft repair plant, but work at the facility was halted prior to the strikes and there were no reports of casualties.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces say Russia fired six missiles at Lviv on Friday morning, according to preliminary information. It says the missiles were most likely air-launched cruise missiles launched from combat aircraft over the Black Sea.
Two of the six were intercepted by air defense systems, the military said in a Facebook statement.
The attack will heighten fears that the Russian war could spread further west. Here’s what you need to know about the importance of Lviv.
Location
About 43 miles (70 kilometers) from the border with Poland, Lviv is on NATO’s doorstep, so if attacks intensify here, it could have international repercussions.
Friday’s attack comes after Russia fired rockets at the Yavoriv military base between Lviv and the Polish border on Sunday, killing at least 35 people.
Refugees
Lviv has become a haven for Ukrainians fleeing other war-torn parts of the country.
It is home to over 200,000 internally displaced people in a city of just over 700,000, the mayor said. They poured into Lvov in search of relative safety, and many used it as a stopover before heading to the border.
Logistics
The larger region also serves as a critical arms supply route for the Ukrainian military and a broader resistance effort that has thwarted Moscow’s plans for a lightning-fast invasion.
Western Ukraine’s supply routes have become even more important as Russia cuts off sea lanes and lays siege to the south of the country. To the north is Belarus, which hosts Russian troops and has become one of the launching pads for the invasion.
Culture and history
The historic center of Lviv is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the National Museum houses the country’s most comprehensive collection of sacred medieval art and rare religious manuscripts.
According to the city’s official website, the first mass rallies in support of Ukraine’s independence took place in Lviv when communism collapsed.
On September 17, 1989, the largest demonstration in support of the revival of Ukraine’s independence took place in Lviv, with 100,000 people taking part.
The Act of State Independence of Ukraine was adopted on August 24, 1991, and the next day hundreds of people took to the streets of Lviv in celebration.
“As the undisputed capital of Ukrainian culture, spirituality and national identity, Lviv has always played a big role in the development of democracy and the struggle for the independence of Ukraine,” the website says.
Lviv was once part of the Habsburg Monarchy, then known as Lemberg, but became a real stronghold of Ukrainian national resistance during the Soviet era, according to the country’s official tourism website. Details on the UNESCO website tell how Lviv, founded in the late Middle Ages, became a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial center for several centuries. According to UNESCO, before the invasion, the medieval city topography, as well as many fine baroque and later buildings, are well preserved. Earlier this month, UNESCO said it was in constant contact with all relevant institutions across Ukraine, as well as Ukrainian cultural professionals, to assess the situation and strengthen the protection of cultural property.
At the start of the conflict, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said: “We must protect the cultural heritage in Ukraine as a testament to the past, but also as a catalyst for peace and cohesion in the future that the international community has.” duty to protect and preserve.
temporary base
The city has also become a temporary home for many media organizations and embassies that have been forced to relocate from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.