YORK’S Lord Mayor Cllr Chris Cullwick has expressed his ‘sorrow and sympathy’ for the people of Lviv after the Ukrainian city was hit by Russian missiles.

At least six people in the city – among them a child – are believed to have been killed, and 11 injured.

The mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi – who visited York with a delegation last autumn – has accused the Russians of deliberately targeting civilians.

He reportedly told Ukraine’s 1+1 TV Channel: “This is genocide, this is the deliberate destruction of Ukrainians.”

York is in the process of ‘adopting’ Lviv as a sister city as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Cllr Cullwick, who met Mr Sadovyi when he visited York with his delegation last autumn, said: “I’m deeply sorry to hear about this.

“I extend my sympathy to the people of Lviv, to the mayor of Lviv, and of course to all the people of Ukraine.”

Lviv, which is in the west of Ukraine, has so far been less affected by the war than eastern parts of the country. It has been seen as a comparative haven by those fleeing the fighting in the east.

But plumes of black smoke were today rising over the city after multiple explosions believed to have been caused by Russian missile strikes.

Lviv’s regional governor Maksym Kozytsky said three missiles hit military infrastructure facilities and one struck a tyre shop. Emergency teams were putting out fires, he said.

Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the country's ability to resist a major ground offensive in the Donbas, Ukraine's Russian-speaking eastern industrial heartland.