Far from Russian border, western Ukrainian city offers safe haven

A general view shows buildings in central Lviv, Ukraine February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Pavlo Palamarchuk

LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Joel Wasserman knew it was time to leave Kyiv when the United States began warning that a Russian offensive on Ukraine could be imminent, and that its capital could be attacked this time.

The 29-year-old American from Maryland took his cat, food out of the freezer and a few possessions and moved to an apartment in Lviv, a city some 470 km (292 miles) away to the west.