Russian drone assault on Ukraine: Lviv monuments destroyed

Russian forces reportedly utilized a record number of attack drones on New Year's Eve and also targeted Ukraine with S-300, Kh-31P, and Kh-59 missiles, as per a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force on Monday. At least 90 Shahed drones were detected over Ukraine, with 87 of them successfully shot down. Several drones, however, managed to hit Lviv.

The Ukrainian Air Force highlighted that the enemy carried out an attack on the Kharkiv Oblast in the northeast of Ukraine, employing four S-300 missiles, three Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, and one Kh-59 missile from the occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts in the south. The statement emphasized the active engagement of Ukrainian air defense forces throughout the night across all districts.

The Air Force stressed that Ukrainian defenders achieved a record in shooting down drones, totaling 87.

In a Russian attack on Monday morning, the Roman Shukhevych museum in Lviv was completely destroyed, according to the city's mayor, Andriy Sadowy. He added that following the drone attack, the historic building of the agricultural university in nearby Dublany also caught fire.

"On that night, the enemy targeted two national monuments in Lviv: the university in Dublany, where Stepan Bandera studied 100 years ago, and the Roman Shukhevych museum in the Biłohorshch district. Symbolic and cynical. 'War for our history'
wrote the mayor of Lviv on social media.

He added that the remains of the Shahed drone fell on the university, causing a roof fire, which was subsequently extinguished. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The attacks took place on January 1, Stepan Bandera's birthday, Sadowy noted.

According to preliminary findings, the cause of the fire that broke out in the Shukhevych museum building was also a drone strike, said Maksym Kozycki, head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration. The air raid alert for Lviv has already been canceled, the governor added.