Russia launches drone attack on western Ukraine, power outages in Ternopil
Russian forces launched Shahed drones at Ukraine on May 1, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
Russian forces launched groups of attack drones toward western Ukraine on May 1, triggering air raid alerts across much of the country and causing partial power outages in Ternopil as well as damage in several western and central regions.
As of 2:33, the Air Force reported the movement of UAVs in the Poltava, Rivne, and Zhytomyr oblasts.
As of 2:15 p.m. local time, parts of Ternopil remained without electricity, including the Canada, Center, Novyi Svit, and Staryi Park neighborhoods, as well as part of the Soniachnyi residential area, according to Ternopil Mayor Serhiy Nadal.
Public transport in Ternopil was temporarily suspended after explosions were heard in the city. Ukraine’s Air Force warned of new drones heading toward Ternopil and Zhytomyr.
In Vinnytsia Oblast, a private house was destroyed in the attack, and a woman was injured and hospitalized, the regional administration said.
According to the regional military administration, 74 Russian UAVs were in the skies over Vinnytsia Oblast during today’s attack.
Russian forces attacked the Odesa district in the afternoon, damaging the roof of a shopping center and causing a fire that was later extinguished. No casualties were reported, according to regional military governor Oleh Kiper.
In Cherkasy Oblast, debris and blast waves from downed drones damaged a kindergarten in the Zolotonosha district. Children and staff were in shelters, so there were no casualties. Three houses were also damaged.
Air defenses were active in the Kyiv and Vinnytsia oblasts. The Ivano-Frankivsk regional administration also confirmed a large number of drones moving westward.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, as of 1:00 p.m., the drones were approaching from the north, south, and east toward Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, and other oblasts.
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