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Early on Sunday, the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, typically considered as one of the safest locations in the country, suffered among its most serious assaults following the beginning of Vladimir Putin's full-scale military campaign.

For five hours, Russian Iranian-designed drones and missiles struck the city, situated about 70km from the border with Poland. Large blasts were audible from the downtown area, a designated UNESCO heritage location.

Casualties and Destruction Across Ukraine

Across the country, no fewer than five individuals lost their lives – four individuals in the region of Lviv and another in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, 14 individuals sustained injuries. Among the victims was a 15-year-old girl, who died along with three relatives when their residence was hit.

Part of Lviv was experienced power outages, as reported by the mayor. Large blazes broke out in multiple locations, including a civilian industrial park in the southern part of the urban center.

As the pungent odor of smoke and fumes permeated the city, the regional governor encouraged inhabitants to close their windows and refrain from venturing outdoors or to use gas masks or respirators.

Regional Responses and Security Measures

Poland's air force stated it deployed fighter aircraft and implemented defensive measures to secure its territorial skies after a recent incursion by Russian decoy drones. There were also numerous drone sightings in recent days in European Union nations including Denmark and Germany.

• More than 50 missiles and about five hundred unmanned assault vehicles were involved in the assault.
• Armaments included long-range guided missiles, Iranian-designed Shaheds and high-speed ballistic rockets.
• Several regions were impacted, including Ivano-Frankivsk region, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Odesa, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv oblast and Chernihiv.

Call for International Assistance

Ukrainian leadership called on allies to help boost air defense systems and to impose a restricted airspace – a step that has so far been approached cautiously.

"An independent cessation of hostilities in the skies is attainable – and it is exactly this which could open the way to genuine negotiations. America and Europe must act to make Putin stop," the message emphasized.

Over the past few days, Russian forces has targeted the nation's power facilities, leading to power blackouts in multiple regions, a tactic repeated in the lead-up to winter for the past three years. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces has been target oil production facilities deep inside Russian territory with its own long-range drones.

Cultural Impact

The city was in the midst of the yearly Lviv BookForum, with writers and audiences assembled in the city for a major book festivals in the region.

Alongside local authors, such as literary figures Artur Dron and Julia Musakovska, there were international speakers featuring British award-winning poet Fiona Benson, and, joining by video link, the Booker Award recipient Bernardine Evaristo, and the Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk.

On Sunday morning, debris was continuing to descend on the streets of the city, as exhausted residents emerged and participated in religious gatherings. The damaged wreckage of a Russian drone lay on a pavement outside a apartment building, marked off with red tape.