JAKARTA - Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a local official said, in an escalation of the war in the country's west as heavy fighting was reported elsewhere.
Russia's Defense Ministry said the airstrike had destroyed a large number of foreign-supplied weapons stored in the sprawling training facility and had killed "up to 180 foreign mercenaries".
Reuters was unable to independently verify the casualties reported by both sides.
The attack on the Yavoriv Center for International Peace and Security, a base just 15 miles (25 km) from the Polish border that previously hosted NATO military instructors, brought the conflict to the doorstep of the Western defense alliance.
Russia's deputy foreign minister warned on Saturday that convoys of arms shipments from Western countries to Ukraine could be considered legitimate targets.
Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian aircraft fired about 30 rockets at the Yavoriv facility, adding that several were intercepted. At least 35 people were killed and 134 injured, he said.
Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia had used high-precision long-range weapons against Yavoriv and a separate facility in the village of Starichi.
"As a result of the attack, up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large number of foreign weapons were destroyed," he told a briefing.
The 360 sq km (140 sq mi) facility is one of the largest in Ukraine and the largest in the western part of the country, which has so far spared the worst of the fighting.
Britain said the incident marked a "significant escalation" of the conflict. Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation," said any attack on NATO territory would trigger a full response by the alliance.
Ukraine, whose aspirations to join NATO deeply irritated Russian President Vladimir Putin, held most of its exercises with Western countries at the base before the invasion. The last big workout was in September.
In the weeks prior to the February 24 Russian invasion, the Ukrainian military trained there, but according to Ukrainian media, all foreign instructors left in mid-February, leaving equipment behind.
"The dining room and dormitory were destroyed. So was the barracks," said Colonel Leonid Benzalo, an officer in the Ukrainian medical reserve who was thrown across the room by one of the explosions.
"The most important thing is that we are still alive," continued Colonel Benzalo after treating the injured there.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
While Western countries have sought to isolate President Putin by imposing tough economic sanctions, as well as supplying Ukraine with weapons, the United States and its allies are wary of avoiding NATO being drawn into the conflict.
"There are no NATO personnel in Ukraine," the NATO official said, when asked if anyone from the alliance was at the base.
It is known that the Russian invasion has sent more than 2.5 million people fleeing across the Ukrainian border, as well as trapping hundreds of thousands of people in besieged cities.
"It is appalling how cruel and inhumane it is," Olga, a refugee from Kyiv, told Reuters, after crossing into Romania.
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