Russian daytime drone strike targets Ternopil in Ukraine's west, injuring at least 12

Editor's note: This is a developing story and being updated.

Russian forces carried out a mass daytime drone attack across Ukraine on May 1, injuring at least 12 people in Ternopil, a city about 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the Polish border, local authorities reported.

Explosions were reported in the city early in the afternoon and continued, with multiple blasts reported across the city.

Six injured were in the emergency room and one in the regional hospital as of 5 p.m. local time, according to Ternopil Mayor Serhii Nadal.

Nadal said that more than 50 Shahed-type drones attacked the city, with over 20 explosions recorded. Industrial sites and infrastructure were damaged, the mayor added.

The local military administration later clarified that 36 aerial targets were detected over the city during the attack, 27 of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Footage recorded at the city's train station shows thick, black smoke billowing into the sky.

Nadal reported at nearly 2 p.m. local time that parts of the city were left without electricity, but power was restored later in the day.

Local Telegram channels also reported a dense cloud over the city following the strikes.

Monitoring channels said at 2:54 p.m. that Russian forces were focusing the drone attack on Ternopil and Zhytomyr in western Ukraine, with large numbers of drones and strikes reported in the area. They warned of further strikes in the coming hours amid reports of Russian strategic aviation activity.

The Ternopil City Council also urged residents to immediately take shelter and announced a temporary halt of public transport amid the attack.

Serhii Ziubanenko, head of the regional branch of the National Police, said 39 people were evacuated from the affected areas.

Ukraine's General Staff said the attack involved 409 drones between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. from multiple directions in Russia and Russian-occupied territories. According to preliminary data, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 388 drones, while 16 others hit targets.

The daytime assault follows a mass overnight attack that killed one person and injured 52 others. Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 210 drones overnight, 190 of which were intercepted,  Ukraine’s Air Force reported.