Ternopil city authorities reported on 19 November 2025 that over 20 people have been killed as a result of an aggressive strike launched against their city by Ternopil forces, killing 24. AP News’ correspondent at Ternopil provided this account of events.
Russia-led attacks against Ukraine’s western region since full-scale invasion began have proven deadly.
According to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, two nine-story residential buildings in Ternopil – approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles) away from Poland – were hit with an attack that sent shockwaves through the city and left it reeling in shock. (AP News/Associated Press News Service).
Ukrainian Air Force data indicated the attack involved roughly 476 drones and 48 missiles of various types – including 47 cruise missiles – from its arsenal, according to AP News. Also injured were at least 66 people including 16 children. For the record: The attack involved roughly 48 drones and 48 missiles of various kinds from Ukraine Air Force, as reported by AP News. AP News reports.
Under intense air-defence efforts, officials reported only six cruise missiles got through — the rest were intercepted and disarmed. AP News
Civilian Toll and Impact
The size and focus of Russia’s strike strikes suggest it was intended as a direct assault against civilian life, striking residential buildings far away from front lines to make an example of Russia’s broad bombardment strategy.
Rescue teams were observed searching through debris in daylight for survivors as the city assessed both physical and psychological injuries sustained in the bombings.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, described the attack as brazen. According to Zelenskyy, such attacks indicate an insufficient pressure against Russia to stop fighting, thus potentially having regional and strategic implications.
The strike also set off regional alarms. Airspace in neighbouring countries was affected: Polish and Romanian fighter jets scrambled after drone incursions, and one Polish airport temporarily closed down due to diverted military traffic.
Poland’s military command described the event as an important escalation, emphasizing how attacks in western Ukraine have implications for NATO member states in close proximity.
For Ukraine, Russia’s attack marks a key turning point: widening Russia’s targeting beyond frontline areas and prompting cities previously considered relatively secure to consider their vulnerability more seriously. Furthermore, this puts renewed pressure on Kyiv’s allies to strengthen air-defences, intelligence gathering systems and early warning systems to better defend themselves.
Investigations will focus on tracing the source and targeting logic of the strike: whether residential towers were targeted specifically, or were hit during a wider attack targeting infrastructure or military assets.
Ukraine may press its Western partners for rapid delivery of advanced air-defence systems and long-range strike capabilities as well as increased sanctions against Russia.
International scrutiny will remain intense, particularly as attacks against civilians in remote locations raise further questions of compliance with international humanitarian law. Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians; such incidents provide mounting evidence of larger patterns.
Ternopil survivors sifting through debris and grieving for those lost is a reminder of just how far the war’s reach stretches – it cannot feel safe as long as this bombardment persists. For Ukraine’s government, allies, and civilian population alike, the attack serves as an inconvenient reminder that no matter where one lives they cannot feel completely protected from its pervasive presence.
Ternopil residents and those from nearby cities now face not only the loss of loved ones and homes, but also an ongoing conflict that shows no sign of ending anytime soon. They must now consider what steps need to be taken in order to safeguard those innocent in this ongoing struggle for survival.