Russian forces launched a coordinated air attack on Ukraine over the Saturday night, striking Lviv and the Zaporizhia region with missiles and drones, disrupting power and transport while also targeting Vilnius airport with smuggling balloons.
Coordinated Russian Attack on Ukraine
Over the Saturday night, Russia carried out a coordinated air assault on Ukraine using missiles and drones, focusing on the Lviv and Zaporizhia regions.
At least two people were killed in Lviv’s district and one in Zaporizhia. Numerous other cities reported explosions.
Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as autumn and colder weather set in.
Explosions and Darkness in Lviv
At night and early morning, loud explosions were heard throughout Lviv as Russian forces attacked the city with Shahed drones and hypersonic Khindz missiles, targeting high‑tech parks such as Sparrow.
A fire broke out, and several residential buildings were damaged. Part of the city lost power, and public transport was shut down for security reasons.
In Zaporizhzhia, attacks destroyed residential buildings, killing one civilian and injuring others. Russian strikes also hit Iwano‑Frankivsk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. Bomb alarms continue in many regions as another group of long‑range drones launched in the morning.
“Largest Russian Attacks on Lviv and Western Ukraine Since the War Began”
Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk posted on social media that this was one of the largest attacks since the war began, deploying massive forces on Lviv with both drones and missiles.
Government rebuild negotiator Paweł Kowal emphasized that these were the biggest Russian attacks on Lviv and western Ukraine since the start of the war.
Witnesses in Lviv reported hearing explosions for five hours.
Vilnius Airport Paralysis
The airspace over Vilnius airport was closed until 4:30 local time (3:30 Poland time) on Sunday, reportedly due to smuggling balloons.
Smuggling balloons were detected late Sunday night, seen near Biała Waka, west of Vilnius, according to National Crisis Management Center head Vilmantas Vitkauskas.
A total of 13 balloons carrying contraband were reported heading toward the airport at night. The decision to close airspace was taken because of the threat to flight safety; most arriving flights were rerouted to Latvia and Poland, and departures were canceled.
Not the First of Its Kind
In recent months, the Vilnius airport has experienced disruptions due to unidentified drones. Over the past weeks, drone and aircraft intrusions have disrupted operations at several European airports, including Copenhagen and Munich.
