MEPs came under missile attack in Lviv
MEPs say the key message from Ukrainians remains unchanged: the future of Ukraine depends above all on whether the country succeeds in repelling Russia's illegal invasion.
On 5 October, during the most massive Russian attack on Lviv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, a delegation of MEPs was in the city.
According to the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, among them were Finnish representatives Li Andersson and Jussi Saramo.
Li Andersson in a comment to the publication noted that on the way to the border they saw smoke from the industrial centre, which was struck.
Residential neighbourhoods were also hit along the way. Blazing buildings and the fire service was busy working, Andersson said.
In turn, Jussi Saramo, said that Russia struck with exceptional force.
They fired from all possible means, although there is no military or industrial target in Lviv, it is far from the front line, emphasised Saramo.
Andersson and Saramo's left-wing group in the European Parliament has been declaring support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity since the beginning of the Russian aggression. According to Andersson, during her visits to Ukraine, Ukrainians always emphasise that armed support is the priority. Everything else depends on how and when the war ends. At the same time, she also notes the importance of writing off Ukraine's foreign debts.
Ukraine is very heavily indebted because of the war. Every year, at the height of the war, they spend several hundred million euros to pay off debts. Of course, this is money that would be much more sensible to spend on defence and rebuilding the country," Anderson noted.
Left-wing MEPs from Sweden Jonas Sjöstedt, Hanna Gedin and Nooshi Dadgostar were also in Lviv on the day of the attack. They in turn noted that their country should do everything to fight the Russian "shadow fleet".
For the EU and Sweden, it is about suppressing the financing of Putin's military fund. It is primarily about oil and gas. No Swedish companies should support the war, the shadow fleet must be stopped and Ukraine must have a clear place in the peace talks, Hanna Gedin said in her Instagram.
The 5 October attack on Lviv Oblast
on 5 October, the Russian army conducted a combined strike on Ukraine, focusing attacks on the Lviv region and using air, sea, and ground weapons. The enemy used missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles in different directions, creating effectively a semicircle of cordon around the region. The attack killed a family of four, including a 15-year-old girl, in a suburb of Lviv.