RFE
22 Feb 2026, 16:04 GMT+10
A police officer was killed and dozens of other people were wounded after two blasts in Ukraine's major western city of Lviv, described by the authorities as a "terrorist act."
Early on February 22, Ukraine's national police said that an emergency call had been made shortly after midnight reporting a break-in at a local store.
It added that after a patrol unit arrived at the scene, an explosion occurred and was followed by a subsequent explosion when a second unit arrived.
"It has been preliminarily established that homemade explosive devices detonated," the policesaidon the Telegram.
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Police said the blasts killed 23-year-old patrol officer Viktoriya Shpylka, who began working in the region in 2023 and married another patrol officer in autumn 2025.
At least 25 other people were injured in the incident. Speaking in a televised interview, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenkosaidthree people were in "critical" condition.
Olha Pidcerkovna, an ER doctor at the local hospital,toldRFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that these three people were placed on ventilators.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyycalledthe incident a "terrorist attack" and said police had detained a suspect. He did not provide further details.
This image shows the aftermath of explosions in Lviv on February 22.
Klymenko added that further "operational measures and investigative actions" were ongoing: "Authorities are identifying other individuals involved in committing this crime."
"Police officers respond to calls every day and night, never knowing what awaits them. But they rush to help because protecting people is their primary duty," hewroteon Telegram.
Meanwhile, the Russian military launched 50 missile and 297 drones in overnight attacks against Ukraine, the country's air force said on February 22.
Zelenskyy said seven regions were struck, adding attacks on the Kyiv region killed one person and injured eight others, including a child.
According to rescuers, those injured were pulled from under the rubble following the attack, while one man died from his injuries on the way to the hospital.
"The main target of the attack was the energy sector. Ordinary residential buildings were also damaged, and there is damage to the railway," Zelenskyywroteon X.
Firefighters work at the site of a residential building damaged during Russian strikes on Kyiv on February 22.
Ukraine's power grid operator UkrenergoreportedRussian attacks have again prompted emergency power outages in a number of regions, including the capital.
Amid unusually cold winter temperatures, Russia hasrepeatedly hit power and heating facilitiesin Kyiv and throughout the country, leaving millions of Ukrainians struggling to stay warm and go about their lives.
The strikes came days after the latest round of US-brokered peace talks in Geneva ended with no breakthrough to end the Russian invasion, which on February 24 will reach the four-year mark.
While a new round of talks might happen again in the near future, Zelenskyy said that by massively attacking Ukraine Moscow continues "to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy."
Dozens Wounded, 1 Dead In 'Terrorist Act' In Ukraine's Lviv
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