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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
This is a breaking news story and may be updated as further information comes to light.
A seven-year-old Polish girl was among those killed during Russia’s attack on the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil this week, the Polish foreign ministry has announced. The girl and her mother were burned alive following a rocket strike on residential buildings, according to her school.
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, Russia launched large-scale attacks on Ukraine, involving hundreds of drones and almost 50 missiles. Many strikes took place in western areas hundreds of kilometres from the front line.
Two residential buildings were hit in Ternopil, killing at least 28 people, including three children. Rescuers continue to search for survivors, with many people still missing.
All night long, our rescuers worked in Ternopil, and search-and-rescue operations are still ongoing. 22 people are still missing – the effort to find them continues. More than 230 first responders from nine regions of Ukraine have been deployed. In some areas, work can only be… pic.twitter.com/3wrrdwIiNd
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 20, 2025
On Friday afternoon, the spokesman for Poland’s foreign ministry, Maciej Wewiór, announced that a Polish girl, named Amelia, was one of those “murdered” by Russia in Ternopil.
“Among the victims of this brutality is a seven-year-old Polish citizen, Amelka,” he wrote, using the diminutive form of her name. “She died during the night with her mother.”
Wewiór added that the ministry remains in contact with the authorities in Ternopil regarding the situation.
Polka zamordowana w Ukrainie.
Amelia.W nocy z 18 na 19 listopada Rosja zaatakowała cywilów w Tarnopolu.
Wśród ofiar tego bestialstwa jest 7-letnia obywatelka Polski – Amelka.Zginęła w nocy ze swoją mamą.
Nasza placówka pozostaje w stałym kontakcie z władzami obwodu…
— Rzecznik MSZ – Maciej Wewiór (@RzecznikMSZ) November 21, 2025
Later on Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk also addressed the tragedy in a post on social media.
“Amelka was seven years old. Seven. A Polish child. She died in Ternopil during a brutal Russian missile attack,” he wrote. “She will no longer fulfil any of her dreams. This cruel war must end, and Russia cannot win it. Because this is also a war about the future of our children.”
President Karol Nawrocki, meanwhile, offered his “sincere condolences to the family and loved ones” of Amelia and her mother, “who perished as a result of the barbaric Russian shelling of civilians”.
Amelka miała siedem lat. Siedem. Polskie dziecko. Zginęła w Tarnopolu w czasie bestialskiego rosyjskiego ataku rakietowego. Nie spełni już żadnych swoich marzeń. Ta okrutna wojna musi się zakończyć, a Rosja nie może jej wygrać. Bo to jest wojna także o przyszłość naszych dzieci.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) November 21, 2025
Earlier on Friday, the school in Ternopil that Amerlia attended had announced the deaths of her and her mother, Oksana.
“They were burned alive, hugging each other, as a result of an enemy rocket attack,” wrote the school in a Facebook post, sharing photos of the pair. “Our entire school family mourns the irreparable loss [of] Amelia, a bright girl, a little angel.”
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/X
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
