A wave of Russian drone and missile strikes has brought widespread loss and destruction across Ukraine, with the western city of Ternopil suffering the heaviest blow. Ukrainian emergency officials reported that at least 25 people, including several children, were killed when two residential blocks were hit. Dozens more were wounded, and rescuers warned that some residents might still be trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Footage shared by President Volodymyr Zelensky showed one of the apartment blocks partially caved in, its middle floors sheared away. Thick smoke poured from shattered windows while emergency crews worked through the debris long after the attack. In another clip, a towering plume of smoke rose behind the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help as air-raid sirens continued across the city.
The strikes did not spare other regions. Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk were also hit, damaging energy facilities, transport links and other infrastructure. In Kharkiv, more than 30 people were injured when drones targeted several districts, igniting fires and damaging homes, a school, and a supermarket. Emergency power outages were introduced nationwide as the energy ministry assessed damage across multiple regions.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched more than 470 drones and close to 50 missiles in the overnight assault, making it one of the largest bombardments of western Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Zelensky said the attacks demonstrated the urgent need for more air-defence systems and renewed calls for stronger international pressure on Moscow. “Every brazen strike against ordinary life shows that the pressure on Russia is insufficient,” he said.
The escalation followed Ukraine’s admission that it had recently fired US-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles at military targets inside Russia. Moscow claimed its air defences intercepted four of these missiles near the southern city of Voronezh, though debris reportedly damaged several civilian buildings.
Diplomatic efforts continued in parallel with rising hostilities. Zelensky travelled to Ankara to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of an effort to revive a US-backed initiative aimed at ending the war. Reports have circulated about quiet contacts involving American and Russian envoys, though the Kremlin dismissed having any role in current discussions.
Meanwhile, senior US military leaders were expected in Kyiv, marking the highest-level visit by American officers since President Donald Trump took office. Their trip comes as Kyiv seeks additional support to counter Russia’s intensifying winter campaign against energy infrastructure.
Regional tensions also rose beyond Ukraine’s borders. Romania said a Russian drone briefly flew about eight kilometres into its airspace before returning over Ukraine and Moldova. Romanian and German aircraft were scrambled in response. Poland likewise deployed jets and temporarily closed airports in Rzeszow and Lublin as a protective measure during the strikes.
With the war approaching its fourth year, both Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on terms for ending the conflict. Russian officials say their requirements are unchanged, while Ukraine continues to pursue stronger international backing to defend its territory and population.
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