At least 35 people were killed, including American and Canadian mercenaries, and more than 130 injured during overnight shelling at a military training ground outside the western Ukrainian city of Lvov, the head of the regional military administration Maxim Kozitsky has claimed.
The Yavorsky military range, ironically dubbed by Kiev as the “International Center for Peacekeeping and Security” is a US funded facility, located about 15 miles from Poland, with some reports suggesting the blast could be felt across the border. Russian military authorities have yet to comment on or confirm the strike.
According to Kozitsky, by noon on Sunday all fires on the center’s territory had been extinguished, and explosives technicians and other specialists were inspecting the site.
MINAReport finds the facility had many foreign mercenaries, including US, Canadian and UK fighters who had gathered at the training center awaiting deployment.
“I must say that, unfortunately, that we lost more heroes: 35 people died as a result of the shelling of the peacekeeping and security center. Another 134 with injuries of varying severity have been hospitalized,” Kozitsky wrote on Telegram. If Kiev says 35 western mercenaries (“heroes”) have been killed, the true number is likely much, much higher.
He claimed that the airstrike was “carried out from the Black and Azov Seas” with aircraft taking off from Saratov airport.
“In total, the occupiers fired more than 30 missiles. The Ukrainian air defense system responded,” Kozitsky said, also claiming that Ukrainian forces had “shot down some of the missiles in the air.”
Kozitsky repeated Ukraine’s request for NATO “to close the sky over Ukraine” by implementing a no-fly zone, or alternatively, to provide the country with military planes.
He stressed that with shelling “approaching the borders of NATO countries,” this is the “crucial moment” to fulfill Kiev’s request. NATO has so far refused to impose a no-fly zone, saying it would lead to direct confrontation with Moscow.
