Ukrainian officials reported that on November 19, a Russian missile and drone strike on the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil killed 26 civilians, including three children. The attack, one of the region’s deadliest since February 2022, struck two residential buildings between the third and ninth floors. More Russian strikes hit the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kharkiv regions, injuring more than 30 people in Kharkiv and igniting fires across cities. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 476 drones and 48 missiles overnight, while also sharing feelings of exhaustion and struggle towards the massive number of Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko described walking “between the burnt walls” and reflected on the attack saying: “in each apartment – a whole life that Russia destroyed in an instant”, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. The President Volodymyr Zelensky released footage showing an entire block caved in, calling the destruction “significant,” and stating that many victims remained trapped under the rubble. He said: “every brazen attack on normal life indicates that the pressure on Russia is insufficient,” calling for stronger sanctions and more support for Ukraine’s air defences. According to ABC News, on the international level, NATO air defences in Poland and Romania were put on maximum alert.

The attacks highlight the rising human cost of Russia’s winter campaign. Russia launched 476 drones and 48 missiles overnight, and although Ukraine intercepted 442 drones and 41 missiles, the strikes they missed killed civilians and damaged hospitals, schools, warehouses, and energy facilities. A warehouse in Lviv storing tyres and a newly opened Ukrposhta office were destroyed, and 900 parcels were lost. The strikes hit energy systems across Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, leaving nearly 2000 residents, especially in Khmelnytskyi, without electricity. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry confirmed that “emergency power outages” were affecting thousands of residents. Ukrenergo officials warned of “waves” of strikes targeting the grid from east to west, unfortunately coming during freezing temperatures as low as -3 degrees Celsius.

Moreover, Romania reported that a drone penetrated 8 km into its airspace before moving through Moldova and returning to Romania, prompting deployment of German Eurofighters and Romanian F-16s. Poland temporarily closed two airports and scrambled jets as Russia’s assault on western Ukraine triggered air raid alerts across the region. ABC News noted that President Zelensky met in Kyiv with U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and General Randy George, the most senior American military officials to visit since President Trump took office, as Washington seeks to revive discussions on ending the war.

Both Russia and Ukraine remain fundamentally opposed on how to end the conflict. Russia’s Defence Ministry continues justifying itself by claiming that these massive strikes targeted Ukraine’s energy and defence industry in response to earlier attacks. Meanwhile, Kyiv and its Western allies continue to fight for an immediate ceasefire. Local authorities in Ukraine declared three days of mourning, lowered the flags to half-mast, and cancelled public events. According to Liga News, Search and Rescue operations ended on November 22 at 18:00, while “the search for those who went missing continues.”