Massive Russian airstrike kills at least 20 in western Ukraine

Olesia Safronova, Bloomberg News on Nov 19, 2025

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Russia hit Ukraine with a massive missile and drone strike, killing at least 20 people and triggering emergency power cuts as Moscow ramps up attacks ahead of winter.

The death toll rose after the barrage struck and significantly damaged a nine-story residential building in the western city of Ternopil leaving dozens injured among the rubble, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Russia used more than 470 strike drones and 48 missiles, including one ballistic type, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media.

“Every brazen attack against ordinary life proves that the pressure on Russia is still insufficient,” the president said in a post on X. “Effective sanctions and assistance for Ukraine can change this.”

The attack comes as Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey for talks aimed at reviving stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion, currently well into its four year. The Ukrainian leader is looking to leverage growing U.S. pressure on Moscow, including sanctions on major oil companies last month.

Turkey has played an intermediary role in the conflict, hosting previous talks between Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy has asked European allies, who are currently financing the bulk of aid for the war-ravaged country, to provide more air defenses to help repel Moscow’s relentless airstrikes.

The city of Kharkiv in the east also came under attack overnight and 46 people were injured, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. Dozens of people were wounded, including children, according to Zelenskyy. Energy infrastructure, a business and warehouse facilities were hit in the western Lviv region, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on Telegram.

The Energy Ministry imposed emergency power cuts. Energy targets were hit in seven regions from eastern Donetsk to western Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv, it said.

“When the security situation allows, rescuers and energy workers will begin addressing the consequences of the attack and restoring power supply,” the ministry said in a Facebook post. DTEK, Ukraine’s biggest private energy company, said one of its thermal plants was also hit, without specifying the location.

Neighboring Poland and Romania scrambled fighter jets. Polish authorities temporarily closed Rzeszow and Lublin airports, close to the border with Ukraine, to allow “freedom of operation for military aviation.”

Romania’s decision to dispatch planes came after a drone was detected entering the country’s airspace, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

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—With assistance from Irina Vilcu.