The death toll in the western city of Ternopil has risen to 26, after more bodies have been pulled from the rubble of an apartment building struck by a Russian missile. The number of injured has reached at least 93, with 18 children sent to the hospital so far.
“There are still people trapped under the rubble, and first responders are continuing search and rescue operations,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media.
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“Russia will never stop on its own. Their goal is to continue killing and destroying life in Ukraine. Only strong pressure on the aggressor can stop this.”
Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, said emergency and rescue teams continue to work around the clock to find buried survivors and provide assistance to those injured.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” he said. “The priority now is to find everyone who may be trapped under the rubble.”
[Updated Nov. 19, 3:46 pm Kyiv time with a new report from the State Emergency Service on the rising toll in Ternopil.]
In the western city of Ternopil, 25 people had been confirmed dead as of 3.09 p.m. and 73 others injured, following a Tuesday to Wednesday overnight Russian attack Ukraine’s emergency services reported.
“Russia has again struck peaceful Ukrainian cities – deliberately targeting housing, education facilities, and critical infrastructure. Their goal remains unchanged: more civilian casualties, more destruction, more pain,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote via Telegram.
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Klymenko said the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil regions came under the massive Russian assault and that around 500 rescuers and more than 100 units of equipment are working across nine sites.
“The worst situation is in Ternopil. Two nine-story residential buildings were hit. One caught fire; the other suffered destruction from the third to the ninth floors. As of 10 a.m.: 10 dead and 37 injured, including 12 children,” he had reported.
Rescuers continued evacuating residents from blocked apartments, and people remain trapped under the rubble on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are working as carefully as possible – every minute can mean a saved life,” Klymenko said.
He sent State Emergency Service (DSNS) head Andriy Danyk to Ternopil, adding that he is monitoring the response “under constant control” and reporting directly to the country’s leadership.
“We are deploying aviation, mobile rapid-response centers, Delta, dog handlers, and heavy engineering equipment. Additional forces from neighboring regions are also being brought in. Psychologists are working on-site,” he wrote.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, three people were injured, including two children.
In the Lviv region, firefighters are extinguishing several burning warehouses covering more than 10,000 square meters (108,000 square feet) – all civilian sites.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram that she held an online meeting with Klymenko and the heads of the affected regions to assess the consequences of the attack and coordinate further response efforts.
“Russia continues its terror against our people and our cities. This time, the western regions of the country came under attack,” she wrote, offering condolences to the families of those killed in Ternopil.
“The government remains in contact with the regions and will provide all necessary assistance,” she added.
Earlier reports
According to the National Police, as of 12 p.m., 16 people had been confirmed dead and 64 others injured, including 14 children.
Ternopil Mayor Serhiy Nadal earlier reported on the national telethon that Russian strikes hit an industrial facility and directly struck two residential buildings – one with 104 apartments and the other with 51.
The buildings were seriously damaged, and rescue operations are still ongoing, the mayor added.
“People are still being rescued from the fire, from basements, and from rooftops. Everyone is being provided with the necessary medical care,” he said.
The mayor also said that a nearby kindergarten and two schools were severely damaged.
“The heating network in this neighborhood was damaged. Repairs have been completed, and heat supply has been restored. Public transport is not fully operational, as the attacked area remains blocked by law enforcement officers,” Nadal added.
Preliminary reports indicate that one residential building was hit by a Kh-101 missile, according to Yuriy Ihnat, head of the communications department of the Air Force Command, speaking on Kyiv24.
“Preliminarily, a Kh-101 missile struck the building. Final information will be confirmed on site,” he said.
According to the DSNS, as of 12:49 p.m., the number of fatalities in Ternopil had increased to 19.
“Another 66 people were injured, including 16 children. Emergency workers have rescued 45 people,” the report said.
However, in the report at 1.18 p.m., rescuers confirmed that the death toll had risen to 20, including two children.
According to the DSNS update at 3.09 p.m., 25 people have now died in the Russian strike on the city, including three children.
“Another 73 people, including 15 children, were injured. Fourteen SES psychologists from different regions of Ukraine are working near the damaged building and have already provided assistance to 150 people,” the report said.
Emergency and rescue operations remain ongoing. More than 160 rescuers are involved, including climbers, dog handlers, the Delta special unit, and about 45 units of DSNS equipment, including robotic systems. Sappers have surveyed the surrounding area.
According to the Air Force of Ukraine, from 6 p.m. on Nov. 18, Russian forces launched a large-scale combined strike on critical infrastructure using drones and air- and ground-launched missiles.
In total, Air Force radio-technical units detected and tracked 524 air attack weapons – 48 missiles and 476 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including:
- 476 strike UAVs (Shahed/Gerbera types, including ~300 Shaheds);
- 40 Kh-101 cruise missiles;
- 7 Kalibr cruise missiles;
- 1 Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The main directions of attack were the Lviv, Ternopil, and Kharkiv regions.
Air defense units – including aviation, SAM systems, electronic warfare, drone units, and mobile fire groups – engaged the barrage.
By 10 a.m., they had downed or suppressed 483 targets: 442 Shahed/Gerbera drones, 34 Kh-101 missiles, and 7 Kalibr missiles.
Seven missiles and 34 drones struck 14 locations, while debris from intercepted UAVs fell at six additional sites.
This news story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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