Russia strikes army base near Polish border

Dozens of people have been killed as Russian troops launched multiple air raids on a large Ukrainian military facility outside the western city of Lviv near the Polish border, Ukrainian officials said, in what appeared to be the westernmost attack since Moscow launched an invasion on February 24. More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility that is less than 25km (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, Lviv Governor Maxim Kozitsky said on Sunday, news agencies report.

Kozitsky said at least 35 people were killed and 134 others wounded in the attack.Al Jazeera was unable to verify the reports regarding the attack and casualties. Russia offered no immediate comment. The 360 square km (140 square miles) Yavoriv military facility, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries.

The base has also hosted international NATO drills and a senior NATO official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying "the spirit of military cooperation" between Ukraine and international  forces. As such, the site symbolises a longstanding Russian complaint: that the 30-member Western military alliance has expanded in Eastern Europe too close to Russian territory. One of Moscow's stated conditions for ending the hostilities in Ukraine is for the country to drop its ambitions to join NATO.The strikes on Sunday followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia's grinding assault.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said foreign military instructors worked at the facility. "Information about the victims is being clarified," he said in an online post.Many Ukrainians have fled to relative safety in Lviv since the launch of Russia's invasion. The city is also a transit hub for those leaving Ukraine.