War in Ukraine: attack in Lviv, Russian civilians killed near the border, strike in Poltava… update on the situation

In recent weeks, Russia, which has been advancing in eastern Ukraine, has stepped up its drone and missile attacks and on Tuesday launched the deadliest attack in the country this year, killing at least 50 people in the city of Poltava, including military personnel.

For its part, Ukraine, which launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region in early August, launched a massive drone attack on Russian energy infrastructure over the weekend. Volodymyr Zelensky is due to travel to the United States later this month, where he hopes to present a "victory plan" to US President Joe Biden, a key ally.

The Ukrainian parliament still needs to approve the resignations, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said, and the appointments will be validated as early as Thursday. Ukraine's president is expected to name Dmitry Kuleba's successor as foreign minister on Wednesday, with First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha a leading contender.

At least five portfolios have remained vacant since ministers were sacked or resigned earlier this year, including the key agriculture and infrastructure ministries.

Three Russian civilians killed in Ukrainian airstrikes on border village

Three civilians were killed by Ukrainian shelling on Wednesday in a village in Russia's Belgorod region, close to the border with Ukraine, the local governor announced.

The village of Novaya Tavoljanka has been “repeatedly shelled by Ukrainian military” and “three civilians were killed”, Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

Russian attack kills seven in Lviv, strikes energy facilities

A Russian attack on Lviv near the Polish border on Wednesday killed seven people, including three children, the mayor of the main city in western Ukraine said, as Moscow again targeted energy facilities across the country.

The attacks come a day after a Russian strike on a military institute in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava killed at least 51 people and injured hundreds, the deadliest attack this year in the country. Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said Wednesday that the attacks had killed seven people, including three children, while 35 people were receiving medical treatment.

Among those killed in Lviv was a 14-year-old girl, Lviv Region Governor Maksim Kozytsky said on the Telegram messaging app. According to Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko, the attack left about 40 people injured. Andrii Sadovyi said on national television that more than 70 structures, including schools, homes and clinics, were damaged.

According to the governor of the Lviv region, the damage tally includes at least seven architectural monuments, all buildings located in the city's historic district and in the UNESCO buffer zone, which aims to protect world heritage sites. Moscow says its attacks are targeting Ukraine's military, energy and transport infrastructure, not civilians.

The city of Lviv is just 70 km from the border with Poland and therefore from the territory of a NATO member. Warsaw activated its air defenses on Wednesday for the third time in eight days to ensure the security of its airspace, the Polish Armed Forces' operational command said.

Russian airstrikes have also hit energy facilities and critical infrastructure in nine Ukrainian regions over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. The Ukrainian Energy Ministry said on Telegram that the attacks hit energy facilities in Lviv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions.

The ministry did not provide further details on the extent of the recent damage to the energy grid, which has already been targeted by Russian airstrikes several times since the start of the war in February 2022. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down seven out of 13 missiles and 22 out of 29 drones across the country. Ukrenergo, Ukraine's grid operator, said on Wednesday it would increase emergency cuts introduced after the Russian strike on August 26, citing a reduction in production capacity. Russia has not yet commented on Wednesday's strikes on Lviv and kyiv.

Russia claims capture of new town near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine

Russia claimed capture of a new town in eastern Ukraine, Karlivka, located about thirty kilometers from the city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics center for Ukrainian forces that have been retreating for months in this area in the face of Russian assaults.

“Units of the military grouping +Center+ have completely liberated the village" of Karlivka, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russian military says strike Tuesday in Poltava targeted military training center

The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the missile strike that killed at least 53 people and wounded more than 200 in Poltava, central Ukraine, the day before targeted a military training center.

Russian forces carried out a precise strike on the 179th Joint Training Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city of Poltava,” the Russian ministry said in a statement. “All designated targets have been destroyed,” it added.