A massive overnight Russian drone and missile attack struck residential areas across Ukraine, killing at least 25 people in the western city of Ternopil and wounding dozens more in Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday.
The large-scale assault saw Russian forces launch 48 missiles and 476 drones, targeting energy and transport infrastructure and forcing emergency power cuts in several regions amid frigid winter temperatures. The attack resulted in approximately 80 people wounded nationwide.
In Ternopil, the onslaught hit multi-story apartment buildings, reducing sections to rubble. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was due to hold talks in Turkey to revive peace negotiations, confirmed the residential buildings had been struck and said others may be trapped under the debris.
The human cost was encapsulated by the anguish of one mother at the Ternopil site. “My son is still in the apartment on the ninth floor. I talked to him before the explosions. That’s it,” she said. “He said ‘Mom, everything will be fine. Don’t worry.’ After this, I tried calling and couldn’t reach him. I know nothing.”
Meanwhile, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a separate drone attack injured 32 people. A spokesperson for the local authorities described the nature of the strike on the city, stating, “The enemy launched about 10 strikes using ‘Geran-2’ drones on the central districts of the city of Kharkiv. The areas hit were residential districts, directly targeting residential buildings.”
The spokesperson emphasized the purely civilian nature of the area, adding, “There are no industrial buildings or structures here. This is only a residential area. There is a school and a kindergarten nearby, and absolutely nothing else here.”
The coordinated attacks come as President Zelenskyy seeks to bolster diplomatic support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion during his visit to Turkey. The strikes underscore the continued vulnerability of Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure to long-range aerial attacks, even in regions far from the front lines.
