Blast in Lviv kills police officer, 25 injured
A 23-year-old police officer was killed and 25 people injured after two explosive devices detonated in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, authorities said.
The blasts occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday when officers responded to a reported break-in at a shop in the city center. According to Ukraine’s National Police, homemade explosive devices had been planted in waste bins near the scene, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
The first explosion went off after a patrol car arrived. A second device detonated when another crew reached the location minutes later, officials said.
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The officer killed in the attack was identified as Viktoria Shpylka, who had joined the force at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Police described her as 23 years old and serving since the early days of the war.
Eleven people were hospitalized, including six law enforcement officers in serious condition.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said a suspect had been detained. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that the 33-year-old suspect, a resident of the Rivne region, is believed to have acted on instructions from Russian special services. Investigators are working to identify other individuals who may have been involved.
Regional prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation.
The attack comes days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as the country also faced a fresh wave of overnight missile and drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure, residential buildings and railways.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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