Kyiv Post’s DW Phillips has reported from central Lviv moments after a Russian drone struck the annex of a historic church, sending debris across the area and sparking fires in nearby buildings.
Footage shows an annex of the 17th-century St. Andrew’s Church, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, damaged and still burning. Emergency crews working at the scene as residents gather amid the destruction. Air defenses were active during the daytime attack, with multiple explosions reported across the city.
What we know so far about the attack in Lviv
In Lviv on March 24, explosions were heard during a Russian drone attack, with air defenses operating in the city.
According to local authorities, residential buildings caught fire on Soborna Square, Brativ Rohatyntsiv Street, and Chervona Kalyna Avenue.
As of Wednesday morning, March 25, of the 27 people who sought medical assistance at city hospitals on Tuesday, 7 remain hospitalized. Three are in critical condition but conscious, while two others are in stable condition.
A building at Soborna Square, 3 – a monument of national importance – was damaged, affecting 17 apartments.
Four buildings on Bandera Street were also damaged, with 23 windows shattered.
In the Sykhiv district, 19 apartment buildings were hit, with more than 1,300 windows broken.
The building at 103 Chervona Kalyna Avenue sustained the most severe damage, with two direct hits. It includes 4 entrances, 136 apartments, and houses over 350 residents. The building is currently without gas or electricity.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said UNESCO experts will visit Lviv to assess the damage to cultural heritage sites.
“Russia did not just strike buildings in the center of Lviv. This is a strike on UNESCO’s world heritage. A strike directly on UNESCO as an organization. A strike on everyone in the world who cares about cultural heritage. We demand strong reactions,” Sybiha said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike, calling it “an absolute perversion.”
“Iranian ‘Shaheds,’ modernized by Russia, are striking a church in Lviv – this is an absolute perversion, and only someone like Putin can like it,” he said.