An overnight Russian attack on the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil left at least 20 people dead and dozens of others wounded, Ukrainian authorities said early Wednesday, making it one of the deadliest strikes on the country in recent months.
"In Ternopil, residential nine-story buildings were hit, causing fires. Unfortunately, there is significant destruction, and there may be people trapped under the rubble," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
He published photos and videos of a badly damaged apartment building engulfed in flames and smoke, as well as what appeared to be a burning warehouse.
Zelensky initially said the death toll from the attack was nine people, but law enforcement authorities later raised that number to 20 as rescue workers recovered more bodies from the site of the strike.
"Up to 20 people, including two children, have been confirmed killed in the Russian missile strike on Ternopil," Ukraine's Interior Ministry said in a statement shortly after 1 p.m. local time.
Officials in Ternopil said that large fires had caused chlorine levels in the surrounding air to spike to six times the norm, urging residents to stay indoors and keep windows closed.
Russia's Defense Ministry did not specifically mention the attack on Ternopil in its daily briefing, but it claimed that its forces had targeted "defense industry and energy facilities that supported their operations, as well as long-range drone storage sites in western Ukraine."
"All intended targets were hit and the objectives of the strike were achieved," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Russia launched 476 drones and 48 missiles in overnight attacks across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force, which said that it destroyed 442 of the drones and 41 missiles.
Other regions targeted in the strikes included eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv, where dozens of people were injured, as well as Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Dnipro.
AFP contributed reporting.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
