Five dead in new Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine

BarcelonaRussia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones on Ukraine on Sunday night in an attack that killed at least five people, including a fifteen-year-old girl. Four of the five victims were members of the same family and died when the attack destroyed the residential building where they lived in the western region of Lviv, bordering Poland. It was the largest attack of the entire war on the Lviv region, which had long been considered the country's rearguard due to its distance from the military frontThe intense bombardment has also affected civilian infrastructure, particularly energy facilities in numerous regions of the country, especially Zaporizhia.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, loud explosions were heard in Lviv as air defenses attacked targets from several directions. According to the region's governor, Maksym Kozytski, The Russian army has launched Up to 140 drones and 23 missiles were fired over the area. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian forces fired more than 50 missiles and nearly 500 drones in total tonight at various points across the country.

The family of four who died lived in a village outside Lviv, and their bodies were recovered from the rubble of the building where they lived. The fifth fatality on Sunday occurred in Zaporizhia, in the southeast of the country. In that region, the attacks left more than 73,000 homes without electricity, but service was gradually restored throughout Sunday.

An industrial park in Lviv has also caught fire, and parts of the city have been left without power, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said, urging residents to stay home Sunday as emergency services battled multiple blazes, according to Reuters. "Another deliberate act of terror against civilians," Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said. "Moscow continues to target homes, schools, and energy facilities, proving that destruction remains its only strategy."

In recent weeks, Moscow has stepped up attacks, particularly against Ukraine's energy grid and gas production sites, as the fourth winter of war approaches and diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire have stalled. The Russian Defense Ministry reported Sunday that its forces attacked Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, as well as gas and energy infrastructure overnight.

Meanwhile, NATO member Poland announced that it had deployed military aircraft early Sunday to ensure its air security. "Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have been put on maximum readiness," Poland's operational command told X. NATO members on the eastern flank are on high alert after Poland shot down several drones, suspected drones, and air raids in other cities, including Copenhagen and Munich. Vilnius Airport in Lithuania was also closed for several hours overnight Saturday into Sunday following reports that a possible series of balloons were heading there, according to Reuters. Service has finally been restored.