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Russian missile strikes have targeted the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, and it came just hours after a senior general said Moscow was reducing its occupation in the west and focusing on the Donabas region in the east.
Lviv has been spared attacks mainly since the beginning of the occupation, with about 200,000 people having to flee their cities, relocating there.
Today, however, a series of attacks hit the outskirts of Sa, with a rocket hitting an oil factory.
Deputy Marshal Sean Bell spoke about the incident where it was stated that guided missiles were used in western Ukraine.
“Because of the location of Lviv, in western Ukraine, it is likely that they were guided missiles. “The city itself is not in range, so these attacks were more likely to have been equipped with sophisticated missiles that could be fired from quite long distances,” he said.
Where were the rockets fired from?
City Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said the attacks were with rockets fired from Sevastopol into Crimea.
Others suggested the attacks were launched from a ship, a theory that follows a video released by Russia’s Defense Ministry showing similar attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure by the Black Sea.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says the four Caliber missiles successfully destroyed Ukraine’s military infrastructure.
The Russian military has claimed that it has launched missile attacks on a Ukrainian military infrastructure from the Black Sea.
However, Mr Bell says we can not be sure.
“Cruise missiles can travel such a distance that these attacks could have been launched from the Donbas region, from the navy or from Russia itself. We do not know. “he said.
Why did the air defense not work?
“First, Lviv has not been a major target so far in this conflict, so most of the missile defenses will be positioned in places like Kiev and Mariupol where we have seen the heaviest fighting. Second, guided missiles are particularly difficult to defend against. They can change the flight path, cover part of the distance at extreme altitudes or even follow the contour of the ground.
“Fixed radar locations will generally be placed on high ground for better tracking. The guided missiles can avoid these. “And mobile defenses are definitely located in areas where attacks are most likely – which has not been Lviv so far.”
Why did Russia attack Lviv?
Russian President Vladimir Putin could have had a variety of different motivations for attacking Lviv, Mr Bell says.
US President Joe Biden was visiting Poland at the time of the attack. And though not strictly so close – it can definitely be seen as a message that ‘we’re not done. Another possibility is for the world press to be in Lviv. We have seen reports that show us how the people of the city are spending their lives as usual. It could be a way to tell them they are not safe. “Russia could also have targeted strategic locations that may not have an impact on Ukraine’s war effort immediately – but perhaps at some point down the line.”
Source: Sky News
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