At least 25 people, including three children, were killed and nearly 100 wounded in a devastating Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s western city of Ternopil early Wednesday—one of the deadliest strikes on civilian areas far from the front lines since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The assault, which triggered nationwide air raid alerts, involved over 470 drones and 48 missiles targeting energy infrastructure and civilian sites across Ukraine. In Ternopil—located 200 km from Poland’s border and considered a relative safe haven—two nine-story apartment blocks were hit, with rescuers pulling bodies from rubble amid fires and structural collapses. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported 73 injured, including 16 children, with 22 still missing as of Thursday morning.
Russia launched 470 strike drones and 48 missiles of various kinds last night, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The number of people killed is rising as rescuers respond and comb through damaged buildings.
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Explosions rocked Lviv and Ternopil, with footage showing a towering black smoke column and orange flames engulfing a residential tower’s upper floors. Ukraine’s air force downed 442 of 476 drones and 41 of 48 missiles, including with F-16s and Mirage 2000s, but debris caused emergency power outages in multiple regions amid freezing temperatures.
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The barrage occurred as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Türkiye for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on ending the war. Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as proof “pressure on Russia is insufficient,” urging allies for more air defense missiles: “Every brazen attack against ordinary life shows that effective sanctions and assistance to Ukraine can change this.” In Kharkiv, 36 were wounded in attacks on 10+ apartment buildings, a school, supermarket, and ambulance station.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the strikes hit “defense industry and energy facilities” in retaliation for Ukraine’s ATACMS missile attacks on Voronezh, which caused debris damage but no casualties. Neighboring Poland scrambled aircraft and briefly closed Rzeszow and Lublin airports due to the proximity.
Zelenskyy, fresh from a French accord for up to 100 Rafale jets, reiterated pleas for Western aid: “Ukraine is a huge country… impossible to completely stop all missiles or drones,” said lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko. The assault underscores Russia’s intensified winter campaign, targeting infrastructure to exacerbate humanitarian suffering.
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