Kyiv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A Russian attack overnight on Ukraine’s Ternopil killed nine people and injured dozens of others in the western city, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
According to reports, the attack occurred just hours before Zelenskyy was expected in Turkey. He hopes to restart peace talks that have stalled. Several rounds of Russia-Ukraine discussions in Istanbul this year did not lead to any progress.
Zelenskyy stated that Msoocw launched more than 470 attack drones and 48 missiles overnight. The seizures wounded people in the northeastern region of Kharkiv and in the western parts of Ivano-Frankivsk, local authorities said.
The Ukraine-Russia conflict has resulted in heavy casualties, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in Europe in recent history. Russia has been boosting its daily drone and missile barrages in recent months, targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and hitting a number of civilian sites ahead of winter.
What damage did the strikes cause across western Ukraine?
“In Ternopil, residential nine-storey buildings were hit… dozens of people are known to have been injured and, sadly, nine people have died,”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy further said.
“Every brazen attack against ordinary life shows that the pressure on Russia is insufficient. Effective sanctions and assistance to Ukraine can change this,”
he said, calling for air defence missiles aid from allies.
He also posted photos and videos of broken multi-storey buildings covered by smoke, in the apparent aftermath of the attack.
“People may be trapped under the rubble,” Zelenskyy said.
“Russia must be held accountable for its actions, and we must stay focused on everything that strengthens us and enables us to shoot down Russian missiles, neutralise Russian drones, and stop assaults,” he added.
How did this attack affect Poland?
As reported by the Guardian, the overnight attack was so severe that neighbouring Poland had to shut two airports. It also flew its fighter jets to patrol the airspace near the boundary with Ukraine as a precaution.
How does this attack compare to the major strike in August 2025?
Similarly, in August 2025, one of the largest Russian attacks on western Ukraine took place. It involved a major overnight airstrike using 574 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles. This attack mainly focused on the western parts of Ukraine, which are crucial for storing and delivering Western military aid.
The strikes resulted in at least one death and left 15 people injured. This assault ranked among Russia’s biggest air attacks of the year and primarily hit civilian areas, causing disturbances far from the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine. The Ukraine-Russia conflict has resulted in heavy casualties, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in Europe in recent history.
