At least 25 people, including three children, were killed in a Russian missile and drone attack on two apartment blocks in Ternopil, western Ukraine, officials said, with another 73 wounded, 15 of them children. The strike early Wednesday marks one of the deadliest in the region since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian X-101 cruise missiles struck the residential buildings. Nearby regions, including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, were also targeted, and drone attacks hit three districts of northeastern Kharkiv, wounding more than 30 people. Social media footage showed buildings and vehicles ablaze, with missiles streaking across the sky.
Despite Ukraine’s air defences shooting down 442 of 476 drones and 41 of 48 missiles, including 10 intercepted by F-16 and Mirage 2000 jets supplied by Western allies, officials acknowledged the strain on their systems. The air force appealed for “uninterrupted and timely supply of aviation weapons from Western partners” to meet ongoing threats.
Ternopil, located closer to the Polish border than the capital Kyiv, has seen few attacks since the start of the invasion. Yet the scale of Wednesday’s strike was immediately evident. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared video showing one apartment block had collapsed completely, with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirming destruction from the third to the ninth floors. Smoke poured from windows and small fires burned around the building, while plumes rose behind the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help as city sirens wailed.
“This attack caused significant destruction,” Zelensky said, noting that many victims remained trapped in the rubble. Rescue teams rushed to search for survivors amid the chaos.
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The Ternopil strike underscores the vulnerability of Ukrainian cities even far from the frontline. With limited defence systems stretched over a vast territory, some missiles and drones inevitably reach populated areas, with devastating consequences.
As the war enters its third year, Ukrainian authorities continue to rely heavily on Western-supplied air defence systems to intercept Russian attacks. Yet the Ternopil tragedy illustrates the limits of even the most advanced defences when faced with sustained assaults. Local residents, still grappling with shock and loss, now confront the grim reality of war reaching places that had long felt secure.
