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Ukrainian authorities have arrested a 33-year-old woman accused of planting explosives that killed a young police officer and injured 25 people in Lviv early Sunday. Officials described the attack as an act of terrorism orchestrated by Russian intelligence.
Attack details
The National Police of Ukraine reported that two improvised explosive devices hidden in trash bins detonated after officers responded to a reported burglary at a downtown shop shortly after midnight. The first blast occurred when a patrol car arrived, followed by a second explosion as reinforcements reached the scene.
Victims and investigation
The fatality was identified as Viktoria Shpylka, 23, who had joined the police force at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Kherson. Eleven people were hospitalized, including six officers in critical condition.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that police and the Security Service of Ukraine detained the suspect, a resident of Rivne region, and are pursuing additional accomplices. The regional prosecutor's office has launched a terrorism investigation.
Suspect's motives
Police later revealed the suspect had assembled and planted the bombs under the direction of a Russian special services agent. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the arrest, while Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi identified the detainee as a Ukrainian woman.
Broader context
The attack occurred as Ukraine braced for another night of Russian strikes ahead of the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion. Zelensky reported that air defenses intercepted 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones targeting energy infrastructure, residential areas, and railways.
One civilian died in Kyiv region, while a woman and child were hospitalized with injuries, according to local official Mykola Kalashnyk. The war, which began on February 24, 2022, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of military casualties on both sides, with Western analysts estimating higher Russian losses.
Russia currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
