Ukraine Russia war live news: Three killed in Volyn as Moscow launches air attack on Lviv

Three people were killed and scores of others wounded in a large-scale air Russian attack on Ukraine’s western region of Lviv and the northwestern region of Volyn, officials said.

Three people were killed and several hospitalised in Lutsk after a business enterprise was hit, Yuriy Pohulyaiko, governor the Volyn region of which Lutsk is the administrative centre, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Volyn region borders NATO-member Poland to its west.

There were no casualties in Russia’s air attack on the western region of Lviv, according to preliminary information, but more than 100 residential houses were damaged, 500 windows broken and a kindergarten playground was destroyed.

“Many missiles were shot down, but there were also hits in Lviv,” city mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that orders were given to evacuate at least one burning apartment building.

Sadovyi posted a video standing at a crater in front of a multi-storey building with all windows blasted out and scattered debris from what appearted to be a playground.

Ukraine’s Air Force said that its forces had destroyed 16 of at least 28 Russia-launched air and sea-based missiles. It was not immediately clear how many missiles were launched at Lviv and Volyn.

The power line that is supplying Chernobyl power station in central Ukraine has reportedly been shut down due to damage in Belarus.

The Kyiv Independent said on Tuesday that the 330 kV power line was stopped – and that this has been confirmed by the Ukraine Energy Ministry.

The report could not be independently verified.

British police have said they had charged two men and a woman with identity document offences after the BBC reported the group were accused of spying for Russia.

The individuals are Bulgarian nationals, who were alleged to be working for Russian security services, the BBC said in its report.

The broadcaster said they had been held as part of a major national security investigation.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed five people had been arrested by counter-terrorism officers in February under the Official Secrets Act and three had since been charged with possession of false identity documents with improper intention.

Orlin Roussev, 45, Biser Dzambazov, 42, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, appeared at the Old Bailey Court in July and were remanded in custody until a future date.

The police declined to comment on whether they were suspected of being Russian spies.

Sweden has announced a military support package worth 3.4 billion Kr (£240 million) to support Ukraine’s defence.

Defence minister Pal Jonson said on Tuesday the package would be consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems.

Mr Jonson told a news conference: “We have to prepare ourselves for the fact this could be a long-lasting war and we also have a long-term perspective so that we can support those platforms that we are sending to Ukraine in a lasting manner.”

The new military aid package will be Sweden’s 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war.

Germany’s economy is reportedly suffering as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which is allowing Chinese manufacturers an increasing share of the market.

Reuters has reported that China is catching up with the Germans in the field of advanced industrial goods where Germany is a leader.

A study by the employers’ economic think tank IW found that in some sectors China’s share of EU imports had risen as much as or more in the two years to 2022 as they had in the preceding decade, prompting the think tank to warn that there was a risk of Germany’s economic motor stalling.

After years of growth, Germany’s economy entered recession in May as its champion exporters were battered by supply chain woes, inflation and rising energy costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting much debate on the industrial future of Europe’s economic powerhouse.

“These findings give cause to worry given the challenges of the energy change and problems with Germany’s competitiveness,” said researcher Juergen Matthes.

Volodymyr Zelensky has met with brigades in Donetsk to “speak with warriors” directly.

The president of Ukraine shared the video on Twitter on Monday.

Mr Zelensky tweeted: “Today, I visited our brigades in the Donetsk region to speak directly with our warriors.

“Third and 5th Assault, 80th Airborne, 57th Motorized, 22nd and 24th Mechanized, 26th Artillery, 92nd Mechanized.

“I was honored to thank each of them for their bravery and results for Ukraine.”

Western pressure on Ukraine’s counteroffensive to achieve a “Hollywood”-style breakthrough against Russia was “unrealistic” from the outset, and Kyiv’s allies must be prepared for the war to “drag on far longer” than they imagined, analysts have said.

With rains expected to muddy the battlefield in Zaporizhzhia as soon as September, the “odds are getting longer” on the “triumphant breakthrough” many in the West were hoping for, experts told The Independent.

Facing heavily fortified Russian defences, including vast minefields, Ukraine has been forced to broaden its focus away from the frontlines to wider attacks, which are having “real successes” in degrading Russia’s military capabilities and zapping the morale of its increasingly stretched forces.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters on Tuesday pledging to develop ties into what Kim called a “long-standing strategic relationship”, Pyongyang’s state media KCNA said.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms transactions.

This comes as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that this week’s summit with the leaders of the United States and Japan will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation in the face of North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.

The local government in Prague said Monday that it “unequivocally” opposes a scheduled performance by Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko in the Czech capital while Russia wages war on Ukraine.

Deputy mayor Jiri Pospisil, who oversees culture in the city, said that all the members of Prague’s governing coalition shared the same view.

“All the parties perceive that at a time when the war (in Ukraine) has been ongoing and we read every day about the victims of the Russian attacks in the media, it is insensitive for such a singer to perform here in Prague,” Mr Pospisil said.

The UK’s Royal Air Force and the Dutch defence ministry said on Monday they scrambled fighter jets when Russian bombers were tracked flying toward the airspace off Scotland and the Netherlands, respectively.

The pair of Russian warplanes spotted in each location were flying in international airspace.

Britain’s air force said two Typhoon fighters were launched from RAF Lossiemouth to monitor the Russian bombers as they flew north of the Shetland Islands off Scotland. The Russian Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J, which are used for maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, were in airspace that is part of Nato’s northern air policing area, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Russian aircraft entering the UK’s zone of international airspace can pose a hazard to other planes because they often don’t communicate with air traffic control or broadcast their coordinates, the military said.

The Typhoons stayed with the Russian planes until they were out of the UK’s area of interest, according to a statement from the lead pilot, who wasn’t named.\

Denmark’s air force said its fighter jets identified the Russian bombers flying over the Baltic Sea toward the Netherlands. The Dutch defence ministry said it then scrambled two of its own F-16 fighters.

“This doesn’t happen often, but today’s incident demonstrates the importance of rapid deployment,” the ministry said. “The F-16s are on standby 24 hours a day and can take off within minutes and intercept an unidentified aircraft.”