A police officer was killed and dozens wounded in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday, as Russia intensified attacks across the country, targeting energy infrastructure and civilian areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Lviv incident as a “terrorist attack” orchestrated by Russia, although Kyiv and other regions faced overnight strikes that left thousands without power.
The Lviv attack, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, resulted in the death of 23-year-old patrol officer Viktoria Shpylka, who had joined the force in 2023. At least 25 others were injured, with 12 remaining hospitalized, according to Ukrainian authorities. Police have detained a 33-year-old Ukrainian woman suspected of making and planting the bombs on behalf of Russian intelligence services, Zelenskyy said, adding that the perpetrators were recruited via Telegram.
“This was a terrorist attack,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi stated in a video posted to Telegram. Zelenskyy echoed this assessment, describing the attack as “cynical and brutal.”
Simultaneously, Russian forces launched a widespread assault on Kyiv and surrounding regions overnight, killing at least one person and injuring 17, including four children, regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk reported. The attacks damaged over a dozen homes across five districts.
Ukraine’s energy sector was a primary target of the strikes, causing power outages in several regions, including Kyiv. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s power grid operator, reported significant damage. Zelenskyy detailed that the attacks also impacted the Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, and Sumy regions, damaging residential buildings and railway infrastructure.
The Ukrainian air force reported intercepting 33 of 50 missiles and 274 of 297 drones deployed by Russia during the overnight attack. Despite these interceptions, the scale of the assault underscored Russia’s continued reliance on aerial bombardment.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for increased international sanctions against Russia in response to the attacks, stating, “This terror cannot be normalised; it must be stopped. Russia cannot wag the world, just as the tail cannot wag the dog.”
In Russian-occupied territories, officials reported Ukrainian counterattacks. In Zaporizhia, Russian-installed officials said they were working to restore power after a Ukrainian attack on energy infrastructure, though 12,000 households remained without electricity. In Luhansk, a Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at a fuel reservoir, according to Moscow-installed leader Leonid Pasechnik.
Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, also experienced a “massive” Ukrainian missile attack, causing significant damage to energy infrastructure and disrupting essential services, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Ukrainian drone attacks briefly suspended operations at airports in Moscow, with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reporting that 24 drones were destroyed or intercepted.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its air defence units intercepted or destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones over a four-hour period, including those targeting Moscow and central Russia.
Amidst the escalating conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the development of the country’s nuclear forces an “absolute priority” following the expiration of the Novel START treaty with the United States. He made the statement during a speech marking “Defender of the Fatherland Day.”
Pope Leo issued an impassioned plea for peace in Ukraine, stating that an end to the four-year-old war “cannot be postponed.”
On the diplomatic front, Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban announced that Budapest would block the EU’s next package of sanctions against Russia, seeking to compel Ukraine to resume Russian oil flows through a pipeline supplying Hungarian refineries. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto stated that Hungary would not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward until oil transit resumes. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned these actions as “ultimatums and blackmail,” arguing that such demands should be directed towards the Kremlin.
