KYIV/LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities are investigating a deadly double explosion in the western city of Lviv that killed a young police officer and injured about 25 people in what officials are describing as a likely targeted attack on law enforcement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said several suspects had been detained, including a 33-year-old woman accused of planting explosive devices on instructions from a Russian handler.
According to Ukrainian officials, the first blast occurred shortly after midnight when police responded to a report of a break-in at a shop near central Lviv. A second explosive device detonated roughly 15 minutes later after another police patrol arrived at the scene, a pattern consistent with so-called “double-tap” attacks designed to target first responders. The officer killed was a 23-year-old policewoman, and Ukrainian media and international reports said she died at the scene. Authorities initially reported 24 injuries, though later accounts put the number at around 25 as additional casualties were identified.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said investigators are examining what he called a Russian-linked “terrorist attack” scenario, suggesting the operation may have been intended to hit police personnel and undermine public resilience far from the front lines. He said the suspect, a woman from the Rivne region, is believed to have assembled and planted homemade explosive devices under the direction of a “curator” tied to Russian special services. President Zelenskyy confirmed arrests and offered condolences, while emphasizing that investigators are still working to identify all those involved and establish the full chain of command behind the attack. CCTV footage released by police reportedly shows a hooded figure placing a package near the blast site before the explosions.
Officials also said the Lviv attack was separate from overnight Russian missile and drone strikes reported near Kyiv on Saturday night into Sunday, underscoring what Ukrainian authorities say is a broader pattern of pressure combining frontline combat, aerial attacks and sabotage-style operations. The incident is especially alarming because Lviv, in western Ukraine near the Polish border, is generally considered farther from the heaviest fighting than eastern and southern regions. Even so, Ukrainian security agencies have warned in recent months of increased recruitment efforts for sabotage attacks inside the country.
