Russian missile hits area near Lviv airport, says mayor

At least one Russian missile hit the area near Lviv’s Danylo Halytskyi International Airport on Friday morning, the city’s mayor’s office said. CNN.

In a Facebook post, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said the hit site was an aircraft repair company. The operation was halted due to the Russian invasion, so no personnel were on site at the time of the attack.

“Missiles hit the area near Lviv airport. The windows of buildings [uma] transport company are damaged. The situation at the site is being clarified and we will update later,” Sadovyi said.

There is no information about victims. The mayor also asked people not to share photos of the place that was attacked.

CNN crews in Lviv heard several explosions around 6:30 am local time (1:30 am GMT).

Importance of Lviv

Localization: About 70 kilometers from the Polish border, Lviv is on the doorstep of NATO – any attack in the city could have international repercussions.

Refugees: Lviv became the “meeting point” for displaced Ukrainians. It is home to more than 200,000 internally displaced people in a city of just over 700,000, according to the mayor. They came to the city in search of relative safety, with many using it as a stopping point before reaching the border.

Logistics: The region serves as a crucial arms supply route for the Ukrainian military in a broader resistance effort that thwarted Moscow’s plans.

Culture: Lviv’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the National Museum houses the country’s most complete collection of medieval sacred art and rare religious manuscripts.

temporary basis: The city became the makeshift home of many media organizations and embassies, who were forced to relocate from Ukraine’s capital Kiev.