According to reports, several waves of drones attempted to hit targets in the Ukrainian city of Lviv but were intercepted by air defences.

Numerous explosions were heard as the incoming unmanned aerial vehicles were hit.

The city’s Mayor, Andriy Sadoviy, disclosed on the Telegram messaging app early on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, that “air defences are operating in our region.”

He warned residents to seek shelter.

Later, Sadovyi announced on Telegram that “as a result of an attack, an industrial warehouse is burning in one of Lviv’s districts”.

Sadoviy added that emergency services were tackling the fire.

“So far, only one person has been injured in the attack,” the Mayor said on Telegram, adding that a man in his mid-20s was found under the rubble of a warehouse and transported to hospital.

The head of the Lviv region’s military administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said that two people, a man and a woman, were rescued from beneath rubble in the city.

“The woman is initially believed to have no injuries. The man is in a serious condition,” he said, adding that the city received the all-clear from air raids at 03:00 GMT.

The city of Lviv, close to the Polish border, is seen as one of Ukraine’s safest, but it has experienced more attacks recently.

Russian missile and drone attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in the city, leading to considerable damage and loss of life among city residents.

Three people were killed by air strikes in August.

Three Russian Units “Crushed” In Bakhmut

Meanwhile, the General in command of Ukrainian ground forces said his troops have routed three of the best Russian brigades fighting on the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.

“In the fighting in the Bakhmut section, some of the enemy’s best units have been crushed and have completely lost their combat power,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi noted in a statement.

The Russian units in question were the 72nd Motor Rifle Brigade as well as the 31st and 83rd Air Assault Brigades.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi also said on Monday, September 18, 2023, that the recapture of Klishchiivka and Andriivka in recent days, was an important breakthrough.

The two eastern Ukrainian villages are located on higher ground near the destroyed town of Bakhmut.

Hailing the recapture of Klishchiivka and Andriivka, Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance and had some success piercing Russian defence lines, though Moscow’s forces were counterattacking from multiple directions in a bid to regain their lost positions.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Ilia Yevlash also underlined the tactical importance of Klishchiivka, saying in televised comments that its recapture exposed the southern flank of Bakhmut and was “a favourable springboard for further progress.”

Ukraine has now regained approximately 50sq kms (more than 19sq miles) of land around Bakhmut since the start of its long-anticipated counteroffensive in June, the slow progress of which has been criticised by some of Kyiv’s Western backers.

Russian forces captured the town of Bakhmut in May but Ukrainian forces continued to fight in fierce urban warfare that became one of the bloodiest and longest battles since Russia invaded last year.

Washington, DC-based think tank, The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Monday that Ukraine’s advances south of Bakhmut and claims of destroying the combat capabilities of the three Russian brigades could indicate significant losses for Moscow.

“These VDV [Russian airborne] elements were involved in counterattacking and attempting to roll back Ukrainian advances around Bakhmut… and likely suffered heavy losses,” the ISW said.

The ISW also said that Russian forces south of Bakhmut were “likely battle-weary from recent efforts to hold” Klishchiivka and Andriivka.