At least 16 people have died and dozens more were injured in a major Russian drone and missile attack on western Ukraine, Ukrainian officials reported. The strikes targeted the city of Ternopil, hitting two blocks of flats, and are considered some of the deadliest assaults on the region since the full-scale war began in February 2022.
Among the 64 wounded were 14 children, according to police. Video footage shared by President Volodymyr Zelensky showed one of the blocks of flats completely collapsed, with destruction spanning from the third to the ninth floor. Smoke and small fires continued to erupt across the city as emergency crews responded.
Other western regions, including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, were also hit. In Ivano-Frankivsk, two of the three reported injured were children, while energy facilities and civil infrastructure were damaged elsewhere. Meanwhile, the northern city of Kharkiv experienced a drone attack across three districts, leaving more than 30 people wounded.
Ukraine’s energy ministry reported widespread power cuts across several regions. President Zelensky said Russia had fired over 470 drones and 47 missiles, causing “significant destruction,” and warned that residents could be trapped under rubble in Ternopil.
The attacks followed Ukraine’s first confirmed use of US-supplied Atacms missiles on Russian soil. Russia claimed all four missiles fired at Voronezh were intercepted.
Amid escalating tensions, Zelensky is traveling to Ankara, Turkey, to hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seeking to revive a US-led peace initiative. The Kremlin stated no Russian representative would join the talks.
Additionally, Romanian authorities reported a Russian drone crossing their airspace before returning to Ukraine, prompting air force responses from Romania, Germany, and Poland, which temporarily closed two airports.
With the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaching next February, both Moscow and Kyiv remain firmly opposed on the terms of ending the conflict, and diplomatic solutions continue to face major hurdles.
