By Elsie Kamsiyochi
A series of overnight explosions in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv has left a young police officer dead and at least 25 other people injured, in what authorities have described as a deliberate terrorist attack targeting emergency responders.
According to the National Police of Ukraine, two homemade explosive devices were planted inside waste bins and detonated shortly after midnight on Sunday.
Police units had been dispatched to the city centre following a report of a break-in at a local shop. When officers arrived at the scene, the first device exploded, seriously damaging a police vehicle and injuring those nearby.
As additional officers rushed to assist their colleagues, a second explosion went off moments later, causing further injuries. Officials say the timing of the blasts strongly suggests the devices were intended to target police and first responders rather than civilians at random.
Eleven of the injured were taken to hospital, including six law enforcement officers who were reported to be in serious condition. The remaining victims were treated for shrapnel wounds, blast injuries, and trauma sustained during the explosions.
The police officer killed in the attack was identified as Viktoria Shpylka, aged just 23. In a statement shared on Telegram, the national police said she had begun her service at the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, initially serving in the Kherson region before being stationed in Lviv.
“She was only 23 years old and dedicated herself to protecting others at a time when the country needed it most,” the police said, paying tribute to her bravery and service.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed later on Sunday that a suspect believed to have carried out the attack had been detained.
Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, said the suspect was a Ukrainian woman. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko identified her as a 33-year-old resident of the north-western Rivne region and said police and the Security Service of Ukraine were continuing to investigate whether others were involved.
“We are identifying other persons who may have participated in committing this crime,” Klymenko said, adding that the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism with grave consequences.
The regional prosecutor’s office has formally opened a terrorism investigation, as shock and anger spread across the city. Images from the scene showed shattered windows, scorched pavement, and debris scattered around damaged police vehicles, underscoring the force of the explosions in what is usually considered one of Ukraine’s safer cities.
The attack came amid another night of intense Russian aerial strikes across Ukraine, just days before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian officials said air defences intercepted around 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones overnight, with targets including energy infrastructure, residential buildings, and railway facilities.
In the Kyiv region, at least one person was killed, while a woman and a child were hospitalised with injuries, according to regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk.
President Zelensky said the continued strikes showed that pressure on Ukraine remained relentless, even as international discussions about the war’s future continued.
For many Ukrainians, the Lviv attack is a stark reminder that the country faces threats not only from the front lines and the skies, but also from covert acts of violence aimed at undermining security and morale far from active combat zones.
The death of Viktoria Shpylka has become a symbol of the personal cost borne by those tasked with maintaining order during wartime, as authorities vow to bring all those responsible to justice.
Source BBC
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