Three people were killed and several others were hospitalised in Lutsk after a business enterprise was hit, Yuriy Pohulyaiko, governor of the Volyn region of which Lutsk is the administrative centre, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Volyn region borders Nato-member Poland to its west.

There were no casualties in Russia’s air attack on the western region of Lviv, according to preliminary information, but more than 100 residential houses were damaged, 500 windows were broken, and a kindergarten playground was destroyed.

“Many missiles were shot down, but there were also hits in Lviv,” city mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that orders were given to evacuate at least one burning apartment building.

Sadovyi posted a video while standing at a crater in front of a multi-storey building with all its windows blasted out and scattered debris from what appeared to be a playground.

Ukraine’s Air Force said that its forces had destroyed 16 of at least 28 Russia-launched air and sea-based missiles. It was not immediately clear how many missiles were launched at Lviv and Volyn.

Earlier, the Lviv region’s governor, Maxim Kozitsky, said that “groups of Russian missiles” were headed towards the region.

Until July, the Lviv region which is far from the frontlines and borders Poland to its west, had been spared from most Russia’s air attacks. But in July seven people were killed when a missile slammed into a residential building.

Ukrainian media reported that according to preliminary information, today’s attack was the largest air assault on the Lviv region since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports and the attacks on the region.

Air raid alerts were issued for the entire Ukraine for about two hours, starting at around 2.00am local time.

At least one person was also wounded as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s southwestern region of Dnipropetrovsk, where an enterprise was hit and a fire broke out, Serhiy Lisak, the governor of the region said on Telegram.