So far 19 people have died, 64 people have been injured Russia massively attacks cities in western Ukraine
This attack shows that no place is safe in Ukraine: Russia attacked the city of Ternopil in western Ukraine with fatal consequences. According to Moscow, this was all just a response to a “terrorist attack.”
According to police, at least 19 people were killed in a massive Russian airstrike on the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil. After attacks on residential areas in the city, at least 66 people were injured, including 16 children, authorities announced via Telegram. Two nine-story buildings were hit and damaged.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko earlier announced that rescue workers were taking people out of destroyed apartments. Images from the Interior Ministry showed extensive damage to the building.
There was also a major Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region during the night. There were also more than 30 injured people. Russia spoke of a response to “terrorist attacks”, in which Russian troops have long attacked Ukrainian cities almost daily.
Ukrainian offensive inland
Ukraine previously struck Russia’s interior for the first time with US ATACMS missiles – this time the Voronezh region. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed information from the Ukrainian General Staff about the use of such long-range missiles. A total of four ATACMS were destroyed. According to the ministry in Moscow, rocket debris hit the roof of a gerontology center, an orphanage and private property. There were no deaths or injuries among the civilian population. According to the media, there is a military airfield in Voronezh where attacks on Ukraine were carried out with Su-34 fighter jets. But the ministry in Moscow claimed that Kiev had attacked civilian targets with US missiles.
Ukraine’s military announced on Tuesday that it had struck targets in Russia with American-supplied ATACMS. This is a “significant development”. Ukraine received the weapons system in 2023, but was initially only allowed to use it on its own territory, nearly a fifth of which is controlled by Russia.
According to the media, US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to lift restrictions on the use of US long-range missiles after a meeting with Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky in September. According to Russian media, this was the first use of an ATACMS missile since Trump took office. Recent attacks on targets in Russia occurred during the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. Ukraine attacked Russian territory with ATACMS missiles in January.
Kyiv calls for more anti-aircraft missiles
After the massive Russian attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his allies to increase pressure on Russia and provide Ukraine with more anti-aircraft missiles to Kiev. “Every shameless attack on everyday life shows that the pressure on Russia is not enough,” Zelensky wrote in X. “Sanctions and effective aid to Ukraine can change this.” According to the utility company, energy infrastructure was affected in seven regions of Ukraine. The exact extent of the damage remains unclear. However, public electricity consumption has been limited throughout the country.
Due to Russia’s attack on neighboring western Ukraine, Poland has once again deployed fighter jets to protect its own airspace. Rzeszow and Lublin airports in southeastern Poland were temporarily closed to give the military more freedom of movement in the airspace.
Ukraine’s neighbor, Romania, launched fighter jets to secure its airspace after spotting drones during a Russian incursion on the other side of the Danube. This includes two Eurofighters from the Bundeswehr contingent who, together with the Romanian Air Force, secure the southeastern airspace of the NATO region. There were no reports of drone attacks on Romanian territory. Romania, a member of the EU and NATO, has a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine. Debris from Russian drones repeatedly falls in Romania during Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports.
