- Ukraine says Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security just before 6am
- It is claimed the base was targeted by 30 missiles, with nine people killed and 57 wounded in the strike
- Ukraine's Defence Minister called it a 'new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border'
- Explosions and smoke have been seen on the outskirts of nearby Lviv which had been a refugee safe haven
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Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.
According to Ukrainian sources, Vladimir Putin's forces had launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.
Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing nine people and injuring 57.
Photos emerging from the scene show the facility in ruins, with wounded service personnel being attended to by medics.
The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and up until recently has housed foreign military instructors, although its unclear if any have been caught up in the strike.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov renewed calls for a 'no-fly zone' over the country following the attack.'Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security near Lviv,' he wrote on Twitter.
'Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified. This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!'
This morning there were reports on social media that explosions could be seen and heard from the outskirts of Lviv nearly 30 miles away
The city has been a haven for refugees in recent weeks, with hundreds of thousands going through as they travelled west toward Poland and other EU countries.
During the night air raid sirens went off in the city, which is home to more than 700,000 people and has been largely spared the violence seen in other major settlements such as Kyiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv.
This photo reportedly shows smoke and damage at the Yavoriv training area that was targeted by Russian forces this morning
A wounded soldier arrives at Novoiavorisk District Hospital close to the facility after the attack on the base which is just 12 miles from the Polish border
Ukraine says 57 people have been wounded in the attack on the base, which is located between Lviv and the border with Poland. Pictured above is a young man thought to have been hurt in the attack
Ambulances seen travelling to and from the military facility early on Sunday morning following the Russian attack on the site which is miles from the border with Poland
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called it a 'new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border' and called for a no-fly zone to be put in place
Meanwhile an Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.
A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating, with electricity reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways.
In other developments:
- Kyiv became a fortress ahead of an expected onslaught, with Russian forces now within 15 miles of the capital's centre;
- Russian shelling of besieged cities including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Sumy continued as one governor said the South-Eastern city of Volnovakha has been destroyed;
- Putin rebuffed a new appeal for a ceasefire but, in a glimmer of hope, negotiators discussed 'concrete' proposals for a peace deal for first time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to negotiate, but would not surrender nor accept ultimatums;
- Zelensky revealed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have died in the war so far, but claimed the Russian army has suffered its largest losses in decades, with an estimated 6,000 deaths;
- Moscow threatened the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as 'legitimate targets', prompting fears the conflict could dramatically escalate;
- Putin was urged to lift the siege of the southern city of Mariupol where up to 1,500 civilians have died;
- Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces;
- Intelligence sources claimed Putin may be suffering from dementia, Parkinson's disease or 'roid rage' resulting from steroid treatment for cancer.
Polish president Andrez Duda has told the BBC he fears Russia could use chemical weapons in an effort to break the deadlock.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Sophie Raworth, he said: 'Actually, politically, he has already lost his war and internally he is not winning it', adding that if Putin uses these types of weapons Nato will have to consider its next move.
However, he added that he thought putting a no-fly zon in place would mean 'the opening of a third world war'.
Also speaking on Sunday morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was focusing on the situation in Ukraine, instead of calls for Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister following recent scandal.
Talking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge, he said: 'I haven't changed my mind on Boris Johnson. I think he has lost the moral authority to lead. I don't think he is fit to be our Prime Minister.
'I can't force him to resign. Only Tory MPs can do that. But I have to say that just at the moment, my total focus is on the Ukraine and what we have to do in response to the Russian aggression there.
'I think everybody will understand that my focus is on that vital issue just at the moment.'
Meanwhile, Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, said more than 3,000 UK visas have been issued to fleeing Ukrainians.
Yesterday it was confirmed Russian forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign - but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule.
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Saturday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists'.
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble.
Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days.
Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said.
Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged.
Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign
A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the Ukrainian town of Volnovakha after it was 'completely destroyed' by a sustained days-long Russian bombing campaign
A pro-Russian soldier in a uniform without insignia speaks with employees in the Emergencies ministry's office in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday, after the town was decimated in a days-long bombing campaign
Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of shooting children and said Putin's forces will only take Kyiv if they 'raze the city to the ground', with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby on Saturday, endangering attempted evacuations.
And Vlodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying on Saturday that he 'doesn't see any bravery from NATO' as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems.
In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking 'diplomatic steps' to help the Ukrainian government.
Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, including this church, following a days-long bombing campaign
Fighting in Volnovakha continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule
People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during a bombing campaign by Moscow as part of the Russian-waged war on Ukraine
Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia drive a damaged car without a windshield while patrolling a street in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Ukraine on Saturday
A view shows local residents' belongings in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during Russian shelling of Volnovakha, a town that 'no longer exists' after the bombing campaign
Civilians have been seeking refuge in basements in Volnovakha, Ukraine's Donetsk area, for more than two weeks, hiding from a Russian bombardment that has destroyed their hometown
Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists' (pictured patrolling the streets of Volnovakha)
Residents of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine carry food and water supplies back to their homes after the town was 'destroyed' by Russian shelling
Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, added: 'If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv.
'If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves.'
But there appear to be signs of slight progress in negotiations, with Zelensky saying the warring countries have begun discussing 'concrete' proposals rather than just 'exchanging ultimatums', although he said any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.
The conciliatory tone was not resonating in the Kremlin though, with Putin raging after a 75-minute call with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz that Ukraine was guilty of 'extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents, taking civilians hostage, using them as human shields, [and] putting heavy armaments in civilian areas near hospitals, schools, kindergartens'.
Scholz and Macron implored Putin to end the war and stop the brutal siege of Mariupol but a French official said he did not show any willingness for calling off his inhumane invasion.
Meanwhile Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as 'legitimate targets', prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets', after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to 'World War Three'.
And senior Russian officials incredulously flipped the narrative on its head on Saturday, warning that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating because of the actions of the country's armed forces - and even accusing Ukraine of shelling its own people.
'The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, unfortunately, continues to rapidly worsen, and in some cities has reached catastrophic proportions,' RIA quoted Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, as saying on Saturday.
Mizintsev, who said Russian forces were observing ceasefires, said Ukrainian forces had mined residential neighbourhoods and destroyed bridges and roads.
Ukraine has complained repeatedly that Russian forces do not always respect ceasefires so civilians can leave through evacuation corridors.
Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on Kyiv's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunition store.
The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city, after pummelling the northwest suburbs including Irpin and Bucha.
A column of thick black smoke was seen rising from the eastern suburbs of Kyiv this morning, but there is still no sign of ground forces moving into the outskirts.
But a former NATO official said she is 'sceptical' that Russian forces will 'gain much success' from an expected brutal onslaught of Kyiv, as Ukrainians warned Putin to prepare for his own Stalingrad battle.
A despondent father plays with his daughter before she boards a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine on Saturday
A man walks into a crater created by the impact of an aerial bomb that destroyed a cultural center and an administration building in the village of Byshiv outside Kyiv
A resident examines a destroyed tram depot in Kharkiv on Saturday with Ukraine's second biggest city facing continued shelling
A person is carried on a stretcher next to an upturned car by a destroyed bridge as people are evacuated from Irpin near Kyiv
Anastasiya Erashova wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood
Former deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller says she believes current tactics betray a sign of weakness from Putin's forces, saying she is 'sceptical' of any success in the capital.
She slammed their poor logistics saying she does not believe they have enough fuel supply for battle in the city which has faced constant shelling but is still bracing for an all-out assault.
Three Russian generals out of 20 have been killed so far in Putin's botched invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.
In an address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine has inflicted Russia's heaviest losses in decades, claiming 31 battalion tactical groups have been rendered incapable of combat.
The president also demanded the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was seized after he 'refused to cooperate with the enemy', sparking protests of 2,000 people in the southern city.
It comes as Russian attacks are continuing throughout the county on Saturday despite a supposed ceasefire to allow trapped citizens to escape in evacuation routes.
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: 'Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling.'
Putin's troops have also shelled a mosque housing 86 people including 34 children in the besieged city of Mariupol, whose eastern outskirts have now fallen into Russian hands. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.
A convoy loaded with 90 tonnes of food and medicine left the town of Zaporizhzhia for Mariupol on Saturday, according to local officials, with hopes that it will be able to evacuate civilians on the way back. Ukraine's emergency services said 487,000 people had been evacuated over the past 24 hours, including 102,000 children.
Mykolaiv remains under heavy bombardment, while new artillery and air attacks have targeted Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10607611/Putins-forces-strike-close-Nato-border-Russia-targets-military-base-20-miles-Poland.html
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