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Explosions Rock Western Ukraine After Russian Missile and Drone Strikes
Explosions hit Lviv and Ternopil after Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Power outages were reported, and Poland temporarily closed two airports as a precaution near the border.
Explosions were reported on Wednesday in the western Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Ternopil, according to Ukrainian media and a Reuters eyewitness. The blasts occurred shortly after Ukraine’s military issued alerts about incoming Russian missile and drone attacks.
“Russia is once again striking our energy infrastructure,” Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. “Emergency power outages have been introduced in several regions.”
The extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Ukrainian state media reported that a multi-storey residential building in Ternopil was hit. During the attacks, a Reuters witness observed power outages in Lviv.
Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on Telegram that an energy facility had been damaged and an industrial site in the region had also been targeted. He added that no casualties were reported but did not provide further details.
Images shared on Ukrainian monitoring channels on Telegram showed a tower block in Ternopil with its upper floors partially collapsed beneath a towering column of black smoke, while an orange glow from flames was still visible through the haze.
In response to the strikes near its border, NATO member Poland temporarily shut down the Rzeszów and Lublin airports in the country’s southeast. Polish and allied aircraft were also deployed as a precaution to secure the nation’s airspace.
