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Early on Sunday, the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, typically considered as one of the safest urban centers in the country, suffered one of its most sustained attacks following the outset of Vladimir Putin's full-scale military campaign.

For five hours, Moscow's Shahed drones and missiles hit the city, located approximately 70 kilometers from the border with Poland. Large explosions could be heard from the city center, a Unesco world heritage site.

Casualties and Destruction Throughout the Country

Nationwide, no fewer than five people were killed – four individuals in the region of Lviv and one in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, 14 people sustained injuries. Included among the victims was a teenage girl, who perished along with three family members when their home was hit.

Sections of Lviv was left without electricity, as reported by the mayor. Major fires erupted in various locations, including a civilian industrial park in the southern part of the city.

As the pungent odor of smoke and fumes engulfed the city, the regional governor advised residents to close their windows and avoid venturing outdoors or to utilize gas masks or respirators.

International Reactions and Defense Actions

Polish military aviation reported it deployed fighter aircraft and took preventive action to secure its airspace after a previous violation by Russian decoy drones. There were also numerous drone sightings in recent days in European Union nations such as Germany and Denmark.

• More than 50 missiles and about 500 attack drones were involved in the attack.
• Armaments comprised long-range guided missiles, Iranian-designed Shaheds and high-speed ballistic rockets.
• Multiple areas were impacted, among them Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson area, Sumy region, Kharkiv and Chernihiv.

Appeal for International Assistance

The nation's leader urged allies to help boost air defense systems and to impose a no-fly zone – a measure that to date been met with reluctance.

"A unilateral ceasefire in the skies is possible – and it is exactly this which could open the way to real diplomacy. America and Europe must take action to make Russian leadership cease," the statement emphasized.

In recent days, Russia has focused on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leading to electricity outages in multiple regions, a strategy employed in the lead-up to winter for the previous three winters. Meanwhile, Ukraine has been strike fuel infrastructure within Russian territory with its domestically developed extended-range unmanned aircraft.

Community Impact

The city was in the midst of the yearly Lviv BookForum, with writers and audiences gathered in the urban center for one of the largest literary events in the region.

Alongside local authors, including poets Artur Dron and Julia Musakovska, there were international speakers featuring British Forward prizewinning poet Fiona Benson, and, joining by remote connection, the Booker prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo, and the Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk.

On Sunday morning, ash was still falling on the streets of Lviv, as exhausted residents emerged and attended religious gatherings. The twisted metal remains of a Russian drone lay on a pavement outside a apartment building, cordoned off with red tape.