2 arrested in terrorist investigation after explosion at Lviv Oblast recruitment center injures serviceman

Editor's Note: This article has been updated with additional information.

An explosion occurred near the entrance to a district military recruitment center in the city of Mykolaiv in Lviv Oblast on Sept. 17, injuring a serviceman, the Lviv Oblast Military Recruitment and Social Support Center said.

The explosion involved an unidentified device that was allegedly thrown from the street, according to the statement on Facebook. The serviceman, who works at the Stryi district recruitment center, was hospitalized with moderate injuries.

Law enforcement officers and an investigative team were working at the scene and establishing the circumstances of the incident, the recruitment center said.

Later on Sept. 17, the Lviv Special Prosecutor's Office announced that it considered the incident an act of terrorism and had launched an official investigation.

The Special Prosecutor's Office revealed that according to surveillance footage taken at the scene, a Daewoo Lanos car drove past the gates of the recruitment center before the blast. An unknown individual threw an explosive device onto the grounds of the facility from the vehicle's front passenger seat.

A 55-year-old officer approached the device, after which the explosion occurred, wounding him, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement officers have tracked down and detained two local residents in connection to the explosion. A criminal investigation into "a terrorist act resulting in grave consequences" has formally been initiated.

The incident comes as Ukraine continues to face a shortage of military personnel and challenges with recruitment and mobilization.

On Aug. 28, Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine needs to mobilize at least 30,000 people per month, while a parliamentary defense committee official said days earlier that the government was considering changes to the mobilization system amid recruitment challenges.

General mobilization, as part of martial law, has been in place in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Since the draft ramped up in scope over the last few years as fewer Ukrainians volunteered to fight, mobilization has been a source of simmering tension in Ukrainian society. Cases of attacks on draft officers increased in frequency in 2026.