KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� A large Russian drone and missile barrage on Ukraine’s western city of Ternopil killed at least 25 people, including three children, authorities said Wednesday, as went to Turkey in search of diplomatic support for his fight against .
The nighttime attack hit two nine-story apartment blocks in Ternopil, located around 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the Polish border, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. At least 73 people, including 15 children, were injured, emergency services said.
At least 19 among those killed were burned alive, including three children aged 5, 7 and 16, Klymenko said. Two dozen people are still unaccounted for, he said on national television, and rescuers expect to work at least two more days to complete the search of rubble.
Russia fired 476 strike and decoy drones, as well as 48 missiles of various types, at Ukrainian targets overnight, Ukraine鈥檚 air force said. The bombardment included 47 cruise missiles, with air defenses intercepting all but six of them, the air force said. Western-supplied F-16 and Mirage-2000 jets intercepted at least 10 cruise missiles, it said.
鈥淓very brazen attack against ordinary life indicates that the pressure on Russia (to stop the war) is insufficient,鈥� Zelenskyy wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
Zelenskyy meets with Turkish president
Zelenskyy met with Turkey鈥檚 President in Ankara later Wednesday as part of his efforts to diplomatically isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and bring more international pressure to bear on him. Putin has so far resisted making compromises, despite U.S. pressure.
In brief statements to the press, Zelenskyy and Erdogan expressed their commitment to finding a peaceful settlement. Turkey is a key broker in the Black Sea region, preserving relations with both Ukraine and Russia.
鈥淲e count on the strength of Turkish diplomacy, on (how) it鈥檚 understood in Moscow,鈥� Zelensky said.
Zelenskyy said before the talks that he had seen 鈥渟ome positions and signals from the United States” about the war. He didn鈥檛 elaborate. Tough on Russia鈥檚 oil industry, devised to push Putin to the negotiating table, are due to take effect on Friday.
A senior Turkish official initially said would join Zelenskyy in Turkey, but backtracked later in the day and said Witkoff wouldn鈥檛 be coming. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because he wasn’t allowed to speak publicly about the arrangements.
U.S. Army Secretary and other high-ranking Army officials are in Ukraine , according to two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans. Driscoll is scheduled to meet this week with Zelenskyy, one of the officials said. Ukrainian officials confirmed that Driscoll was meeting officials in Kyiv, but made no mention of any discussion of renewing peace talks with Russia.
Romania and Poland scramble fighter jets
Ternopil sits in a part of relatively peaceful western Ukraine, where many people from the east and south moved to as they fled danger along the front line.
Almost 50 people were injured in Russian strikes on three other Ukrainian regions.
Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said it attacked Ukrainian energy facilities and military-industrial targets, including long-range drone depots, in retaliation against strikes by Kyiv on Russian territory.
Two Eurofighter Typhoon jets and two F-16s were scrambled in Romania when a drone entered the NATO member鈥檚 airspace during the Russian attacks, Romania鈥檚 Ministry of National Defense said.
The Polish military said that Polish and allied aircraft were deployed in the middle of the night as a preventive measure. Poland鈥檚 Rzesz贸w and Lublin airports were closed temporarily to prioritize military aviation, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said.
In northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine鈥檚 second-largest city, Russian drones injured 46 people, including two girls, the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, wrote on Telegram. Drones hit several city districts, at least 16 residential buildings, an ambulance station, school and other civilian infrastructure, he said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that Ukraine fired four American-supplied ATACMS missiles at the Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday. All four were shot down, the ministry said, but the debris damaged a private house, an orphanage and a gerontology center. There were no casualties, the ministry said.
Ukraine鈥檚 General Staff on Tuesday reported firing ATACMS missiles at Russia without offering details.
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Associated Press writers Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.
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