In rare daytime drone blitz, Russia attacks western Ukrainian city largely spared from war’s damage | CBC News

The eyes of the world have been focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, but as President Donald Trump monopolized global news channels on Tuesday with his confusing explanation of how the U.S. was in talks with Iran on ending the conflict, Russia was bombing Ukraine with its biggest drone attack of the war to date.

In normal times, an assault of close to 1,000 Russian drones — many made from Iranian parts and designs — would dominate the news agenda. But these are not normal times. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attacks as “absolute depravity.” At least six people were killed and a number of others injured. 

The targets were mostly in western Ukraine, including residential blocks and a maternity hospital in Ivano-Frankisk.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that Moscow had fired some 400 long-range drones and 23 cruise missiles overnight and an additional 556 drones during daylight hours.

While Russia’s use of drone swarms is not new, the audacity of the attack is notable. 

Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, is located closer to the Russian border and has witnessed regular heavy attacks during four years of war. Residents are often forced to spend the night in metro stations that double as bomb shelters. 

But people in the western city of Lviv have rarely seen drone strikes in the afternoon rush hour — until Tuesday.

Attack on heritage site

Footage shared by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko captured the approaching buzz of a fast-moving Shahed drone as it slammed into residential buildings next to a UNESCO World Heritage site as residents walked the streets in Lviv’s historic old town.

Flames were seen licking the sides of St. Andrew’s Church and the 17th-century Bernadine monastery, which had been awarded its world heritage status in 1998. At least seven people were injured and the building has reportedly been extensively damaged.

Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha believes the destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage is “no accident.” Referring to the onslaught of drones, Sybiha posted on X that “Russia is doing exactly what the Iranian regime is doing in the Middle East, but in the middle of Europe.” 

Architectural experts are waiting to assess the damage in Lviv. On Wednesday, smoke was still seen billowing from the historic building as firefighters continued to tackle the blaze. 

The scale of Tuesday’s attacks “strongly indicates that Russia has no intention of really ending this war,” Zelenskyy posted late Tuesday on X.

The last three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. took place in February, before the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran. Little progress was made. 

On Wednesday, the Kremlin said it remained in communication with the U.S. and that it had been briefed on recent discussions with Kyiv.

Seeking more defensive weapons

Ukraine remains concerned the world’s attention is drifting from this war. The so-called coalition of the willing, which includes Canada, continues to push for peace in Ukraine, and Zelenskyy recently visited a number of European leaders to shore up continuing support.

Kyiv has money worries and the conflict in the Middle East appears to be draining air defence weapons that Ukraine wants to buy from the U.S.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which analyzes movements on the battlefield, suggests that Russia has started its spring offensive in Donetsk in the east. 

In light of the Lviv drone assaults, Ukraine will be keen to stock up on defensive weapons. But the country’s 2026 budget faces a $42-billion US deficit.

Zelenskyy is hoping a promised multibillion-dollar loan from the EU will come through, but for now, Hungarian President Viktor Orban, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is refusing to sign off. 

In the meantime, Ukraine has been relying on its own ingenuity to continue fighting, rapidly scaling up drone production. It has done a deal to open manufacturing bases in Germany, Denmark and the U.K. 

On Wednesday, Ukrainian drones reportedly hit an oil export terminal at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, approximately 1,000 km from the Ukrainian border. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.