Three dead as Russian missile hits Swedish bearing factory in Ukraine

Three people lost their lives on Tuesday (August 15) as a result of the Russian missile attacks in north-western Ukraine, local officials announced.

All three deceased were employees of a Swedish bearing maker SKF, which employs around 1,100 people in Ukraine. The company said in a statement its factory in Lutsk was hit by a Russian missile overnight.

"Last night there was an attack on the city of Lutsk in Ukraine and our factory has been hit in that attack," a spokesperson of the company said.

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"We are very sad to confirm that three of our colleagues have been killed," the statement added.

The company said it was assessing the damage but its primary focus was to ensure the safety of its employees.

28 missiles launched overnight

Ukraine’s air defence forces said they successfully repelled a barrage of Russian missiles launched overnight as they took down 16 out of at least 28 missiles.

Watch:Russia-Ukraine War: Russia equipping submarines with hypersonic missiles

Lviv’s Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said more than 100 buildings in the city were damaged due to the Russian attack. A playground in the city was hit by a rocket, the mayor said, which left a 9m (29ft 5in) deep and 20m (65ft 5in) wide crater behind.

"More than 100 apartments were damaged, more than 500 windows were broken, and a kindergarten was destroyed" after a missile flew into its yard,” a resident of Lviv wrote on Telegram.

Latest from the frontlines

On the frontlines, the Ukrainian military reported Monday (August 14) that it successfully ousted Russian forces from small areas of territory in the eastern and southern regions of the country, further advancing their challenging counter-offensive which began two months ago.

Kyiv has openly acknowledged the slow pace of advancement against heavily fortified Russian positions, indicating recent gains have been limited to a handful of parcels of land near the war-torn city of Bakhmut.

Simultaneously, Russia reported its own progress in the eastern Kharkiv region, casting doubt on the success of Kyiv's much-anticipated campaign.

Ukraine launched its counter-offensive against Russian forces in June, which began after a massive downpour of military aid by the Western nations.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

(With inputs from agencies)

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