Ukrainian officials said Wednesday a Russian air attack killed at least three people and injured more than 30 others in the western city of Lviv.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said in a video posted on Telegram that the attack destroyed a building and damaged more than 50 structures, including schools and homes.
The attack came a day after a Russian missile strike killed at least 51 people and injured nearly 300 in the city of Poltava.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the Tuesday attack as “deplorable.”
“This assault is a tragic reminder of Putin’s ongoing and outrageous attempts to break the will of a free people,” Biden said in a statement.
The U.S. leader also reiterated U.S. pledges to provide Ukraine with the air defenses it needs to protect itself.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed again Tuesday for Ukraine’s Western partners to ensure swift delivery of military aid. He has previously chided the United States and European countries for being slow to make good on their pledges of help.
He also wants Ukraine’s allies to ease restrictions on what Ukraine can target inside Russia with the weapons they provide. Some countries fear that hitting Russia could escalate the war.
“Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage,” Zelenskyy wrote in English on Telegram. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay, unfortunately, means more lost lives.”
Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region as well as one drone over Kursk and another over the Black Sea. Russian forces also destroyed four unmanned boats in the Black Sea, the ministry said.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
