Five Killed in Russian Missile Attack on Ukraine; Two Days of Mourning Declared in Lviv

Following the deaths and injuries of many civilians in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine due to a Russian missile attack, the mayor of the city declared two days of public mourning. Russia targeted Lviv, located near the Polish border, with cruise missiles at midnight on Thursday, July 6. According to Ukrainian officials, this was the heaviest attack on civilian areas in Lviv since the war began. The Russian army had previously attacked this city last year. In the nighttime missile attack, a residential building was hit, destroying the roof and two upper floors, resulting in five deaths and at least 36 injuries. According to the Associated Press, Maxim Kozitsky, the governor of Lviv province, reported that the youngest victim was 21 years old and the oldest was 95. Kozitsky stated, "This woman survived World War II. Unfortunately, she did not survive the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine." Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv, mentioned that nearly 60 apartments and 50 vehicles in the area were damaged by the missile strike. In a video message, he said this was the largest attack on Lviv's civilian infrastructure since the beginning of the invasion last year. Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, described the attack as "barbaric." In a tweet, she wrote, "The repeated Russian attacks on civilians are truly horrific." She added, "We will not sit idly by and will continue to strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself." Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that seven out of ten Kalibr cruise missiles fired by Russia from the Black Sea around 1 a.m. Thursday towards the Lviv region, over 800 kilometers from the front lines, were intercepted and destroyed. Although Russian officials claim they only target military objectives, their forces have repeatedly attacked civilian areas in Ukraine throughout the war. Since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States has repeatedly emphasized its support for Ukraine in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, providing tens of billions of dollars in humanitarian, financial, economic, and military aid to Ukraine.