Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine, destroying humanitarian warehouse and killing 1

Russia launched a massive drone attack on the western city of Lviv early Tuesday, burning down a warehouse said to house humanitarian supplies and killing one man, Ukrainian authorities said.

It was one of at least three deadly attacks in different cities.

Ukraine intercepted most of the 30 Shahed drones overnight, the country’s air force said. But drones that got through air defense systems sparked an inferno at the industrial storage facility, Gov. Maksym Kozytsky said.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine condemned the drone strikes and said they had burned down a charity’s warehouse that contained vital relief supplies. Denise Brown said the attack violated international humanitarian law that protects workers, facilities and supplies.

“Attacks impacting humanitarian assets have escalated throughout the year and ultimately impact those who are suffering the horrific consequences of the war,” Brown said. “Direct attacks or indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited. International humanitarian law is not an option, it is an obligation and must be upheld.”

BLINKEN MAKES UNANNOUNCED KYIV VISIT TO REVIEW UKRAINE’S COUNTEROFFENSIVE AGAINST RUSSIA

In other Russian attacks, a guided aerial bomb killed three civilians in Kupyansk, a city in the eastern Kharkiv region, said regional Gov. Oleh Sinegubov.

An artillery strike in Kherson in the south struck a bus, killing a police sergeant and wounding two men, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. That strike also torched a warehouse.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meanwhile was in New York preparing to address the U.N. General Assembly and the Security Council before traveling to Washington on Thursday to meet with lawmakers and President Joe Biden.

Zelenskyy has continued to drum up funding and support for new weapons as the counteroffensive Ukraine launched in June approaches what could be its final weeks before wet weather slows progress. Ukraine has made small advances but no major breakthroughs.

Other allies pledged money and weapons at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany.