Zelenskyy decries lack of 'real reaction' by west after Lviv hit by Russian strikes

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the west of “zero real reaction” to Russia’s escalating bombing campaign against Ukraine, after a massive attack yesterday killed six people and injured 18.

- Charlotte Higgins Lviv Luke Harding Kyiv

The western city of Lviv, normally considered one of the safest in the country, suffered its most sustained and serious bombardment since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

For five hours, Russian Shahed drones and missiles targeted the city, which is less than 50 miles from the Polish border. Large explosions were audible in the city centre, a Unesco world heritage site.

Victims included a 15-year-old girl, who died with three members of her family when their house was flattened in the village of Lapaivka in the Lviv region. Eight others were hurt in the same strike. Elsewhere in Ukraine, one person died in the city of Zaporizhzhia when drones struck an apartment block.

In a video address, Zelenskyy said Russia had refused all offers to stop its all-out war. It was deliberately trying to destroy civilian infrastructure - in particular Ukraine’s gas and energy system - before the onset of winter, the president said.