Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work!
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 minister has announced.
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
Late 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 the incident.
“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. No further details about the girl or her family had been released at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, on Friday evening, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski also announced the news of Amelia’s death during an event he was attending inthe city of Szczecin. He held a minute’s silence in her honour, reports news website Wirtualna Polska.
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
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.
