Ukraine considers Russia's attack on Lviv as signal to NATO

By Abdullah Tevge and Emre Karaca

LVIV, Ukraine (AA) – Ukraine reacted Monday to a Russian weekend attack targeting the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv which killed at least 35 people.

Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Maxim Kozitsky, head of the Lviv regional administration, and Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi attended a press conference held at the Lviv Media Center.

Stating that the center where the attack was carried out hosted many foreign female and male trainers, Vereshchuk emphasized that Russia directly targeted NATO.

Vereshchuk labelled Russia’s Sunday missile strike as a very specific signal to NATO.

“Russia is signaling that no one should feel safe anywhere on the planet,” she said.

Also, stressing that the facility serves as the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, Kozitsky said foreign officials have been working at the camp since 2014 and they were not there because of the war.

Kozitsky, accusing Russia of lying, said there were no casualties among foreign service members.

"This is fake information spread by the Russian Federation,” he said.

Russian forces fired more than 30 cruise missiles at the Yavoriv military range area, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Lviv and 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) from Ukraine's border with Poland.

The Yavoriv military range was home to the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, which was used by the US and NATO to train the Ukrainian military.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan