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Early on Sunday, the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, typically regarded as one of the safest locations in the country, experienced one of its most sustained attacks following the beginning of Russia's full-scale military campaign.

Over a five-hour period, Moscow's Iranian-designed drones and missiles targeted the urban area, situated around 70km from the Polish border. Large blasts could be heard from the city center, a Unesco world heritage site.

Victims and Destruction Throughout Ukraine

Across the country, at least five people lost their lives – four individuals in the region of Lviv and another in the Zaporizhzhia city. Additionally, 14 individuals sustained injuries. Among the victims was a teenage girl, who perished along with three other relatives when their residence was struck.

Sections of Lviv was experienced power outages, according to the city leader. Large blazes broke out in various areas, including a industrial zone in the south of the city.

As the acrid smell of burning and fumes engulfed the city, the regional governor urged inhabitants to keep windows shut and avoid going outside or to utilize protective masks or respirators.

International Reactions and Defense Actions

Poland's air force reported it scrambled jets and implemented defensive measures to secure its airspace after a previous violation by deceptive unmanned vehicles. Additionally, there were multiple drone sightings last week in European Union nations such as Denmark and Germany.

• Over fifty rockets and approximately 500 attack drones were utilized in the attack.
• Weaponry comprised cruise missiles, Iranian-designed Shaheds and high-speed ballistic rockets.
• Several regions were affected, including Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odessa, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv oblast and Chernihiv.

Call for International Support

Ukrainian leadership urged allies to strengthen air defense systems and to establish a no-fly zone – a measure that has so far been approached cautiously.

"A unilateral ceasefire in the skies is possible – and it is precisely that which could pave the path to real diplomacy. America and Europe must take action to compel Putin cease," the statement noted.

Over the past few days, Russian forces has focused on the nation's power facilities, causing power blackouts in several areas, a tactic repeated in the lead-up to colder months for the previous three winters. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continues to strike oil production facilities within Russian territory with its domestically developed extended-range unmanned aircraft.

Cultural Impact

Lviv was in the midst of the annual Lviv BookForum, with authors and attendees assembled in the urban center for a major book festivals in eastern Europe.

Alongside local authors, including poets Julia Musakovska and Artur Dron, there were global participants including British Forward prizewinning author Fiona Benson, and, joining by video link, the Booker prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo, and the Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk.

By Sunday morning, ash was continuing to descend on the streets of Lviv, as fatigued locals emerged and participated in religious gatherings. The damaged wreckage of a Russian drone rested on a pavement near a apartment building, marked off with red tape.