A Russian missile strike on Lviv on Tuesday left part of the western Ukrainian city without power, said the city’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, in a new attack that came a day after Moscow conducted a mass retaliatory attack on Ukraine.
The missile strike has left part of the western Ukrainian city without power, said Mr Sadovyi on the Telegram messaging app.
Lviv residents said three explosions shook the city shortly after noon local time.
Maxim Kozitsky, Lviv regional governor, said there were three explosions at two energy facilities in the region.
A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Russia may have violated principles on the conduct of hostilities under international humanitarian law with Monday’s deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities.
“We are gravely concerned that some of the attacks appear to have targeted critical civilian infrastructure … indicating that these strikes may have violated the principles on the conduct of hostilities under international humanitarian law,” Ravina Shamdasani told a news conference in Geneva.
“We urge the Russian Federation to refrain from further escalation, and to take all feasible measures to prevent civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure,” she added.
Belarus has said a contingent of Belarusian troops deploying alongside Russian forces was a “purely defensive” grouping aimed at defending the borders of the ex-Soviet republic closely aligned with Russia.
“We emphasise once again that the tasks of the Regional Grouping of Forces are purely defensive. And all activities carried out at the moment are aimed at providing a sufficient response to actions near our borders,” Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin was cited as saying in a statement.
The statement came shortly after French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna warned that Belarus could face more sanctions if it gets more involved in the Ukraine conflict.
German arms maker Rheinmetall will deliver Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and Buffalo armoured recovery vehicles to the Czech Republic as part of an international swap scheme to allow the flow of weapons to Ukraine, according to a company statement.
The first vehicle will be delivered in December, with all deliveries to be completed by the end of next year, according to a statement.
The Czech armed forces are to supply military equipment to Ukraine in exchange for replacement deliveries.
Belarus could face more sanctions if it gets more and more involved in the Ukraine conflict, said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
The warning came a day after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near Ukraine in response to what he said was a clear threat to Belarus from Kyiv and its backers in the West.
The remarks from Lukashenko, who has held power in Belarus since 1994, indicate a potential further escalation of the war in Ukraine, possibly with a combined Russian-Belarus joint force in the north of Ukraine.
Russia targeted infrastructure facilities in Zaporizhzhia city early Tuesday, killing at least one person, according to Ukrainian officials.
The strikes hit educational and medical institutions as well as residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. (France 24)
