Deadly attack on western Ukrainian city
Russian forces launched a massive drone and missile assault on Ukraine, killing at least 26 people including three children in the western city of Ternopil. The attack, which occurred overnight, targeted residential buildings and left nearly 100 people injured with many more still missing beneath the rubble.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the devastating toll on Wednesday, stating that emergency crews worked through the night searching for survivors. The upper floors of a residential building were completely torn away in the strike, with flames instantly engulfing the structure and creating panic among residents.
Massive assault across Ukraine
Russia fired an overwhelming barrage of 476 drones and 48 missiles at Ukrainian targets, striking energy and transport infrastructure across multiple regions. The attacks forced emergency power cuts in several areas during frigid winter conditions, compounding the humanitarian crisis.
Beyond Ternopil, the assault reached the western city of Lviv, where witnesses reported hearing explosions, while the north-western city of Kharkiv also came under fire. In the capital Kyiv, residents sought shelter in metro stations as the aerial threat intensified.
Energy infrastructure was hit in seven different Ukrainian regions, officials confirmed, leading to nationwide power usage restrictions that affected millions of citizens.
Controversial peace plan emerges
Amid the escalating violence, reports surfaced of a new US and Russian-drafted peace proposal that would require significant concessions from Ukraine. The plan, reportedly developed by Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would force Ukraine to cede territory in the east and halve the size of its military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rejected such conditions as non-starters for any peace agreement. The reported plan would give Russia unprecedented control over Ukraine's military and political sovereignty according to sources familiar with the discussions.
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration has formally endorsed the proposal, which represents one of the most detailed potential peace frameworks to emerge since the conflict began.
International responses and developments
President Zelenskyy travelled to Turkey for talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations with Russia following his European tour. He used the opportunity to urge allies to increase pressure on Moscow, stating on social media platform X: "Every brazen attack against ordinary life shows that the pressure on Russia is insufficient. Effective sanctions and assistance to Ukraine can change this."
In related developments, Poland's foreign minister Radosław Sikorski described a recent sabotage attack on Poland's rail system as "an act of state terrorism" ordered by Russia. Poland responded by closing the last remaining Russian consulate in the country.
Meanwhile, Italy's top court approved the transfer to Germany of a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The suspect, identified only as Serhii K, will be handed over to German authorities in the coming days.
The attack on Ternopil marks one of the deadliest strikes on western Ukraine in recent months, demonstrating Russia's ability to target areas previously considered relatively safe from the conflict's worst violence.
