The author of the photo is the Ternopil Oblast State Emergency Service
Caption: The authorities do not say which industrial facility was hit
August 20, 2024
On the night of August 20, an industrial enterprise in Ternopil caught fire as a result of a Russian attack. The local OVA reported that the fuel and lubricants had caught fire.
The fire was so strong that it was extinguished only in the afternoon, and the city was covered with smoke.
According to OVA, there are no casualties.
The mayor of the city, Serhii Nadal, reported that the air pollution levels were exceeded and asked the citizens to close their windows and limit their time outside.
What happened in Ternopil
The local authorities do not say which industrial facility was hit.
The attack took place around three o’clock in the morning, when Russia once again launched missiles and drones over Ukraine. It is also not known what hit the object, but it is assumed that it was Shahed.
The impact ignited a fuel tank, and the city was engulfed in smoke.
The fire was extinguished by almost a hundred rescuers, a lot of equipment, even two fire engines were involved, the State Emergency Service reported.
The fire was localized in the morning, and completely extinguished in the afternoon.
What about the air in Ternopil
Initially, the regional center for disease control and prevention of the Ministry of Health reported that according to the results of the measurements, no high concentrations of harmful substances were detected.
However, information about the new measurements came later and Mayor Nadal said that the air is still polluted.
Author of the photo, Suspilne
Photo caption As a result of the fire, Ternopil and surrounding areas were covered in smoke
According to him, as of 1:00 p.m., seven out of ten control points were found to have exceeded the indicators.
“I ask the residents of Ternopil and neighboring communities to protect themselves and their relatives as much as possible: close windows and apartments, ventilation passages. Limit your stay and, especially, children’s stay in the fresh air. If possible, hang windows and doors with wet sheets,” – he wrote on Facebook
Oksana Chaychuk, regional sanitary doctor, also clarified the air situation at the briefing. According to her, the chlorine levels in the air are exceeded.
“In the morning, the parameters were not exceeded, but in this situation it is necessary to constantly monitor… It is chlorine that is a heavy chemical substance that “falls” downwards, and at first it was impossible to detect it during atmospheric air emissions, because it was in the upper layers of the atmosphere.” – “Society” quotes her.
Chaychuk noted that now chlorine is decreasing, and experts are recording exceeding standards:
“With a norm of 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter, we have an excess of 0.4 to 1.01, that is, from four to 10 times (excess – Ed.) in atmospheric air.”
The author of the photo is the Ternopil Oblast State Emergency Service
Photo caption: The fire has been contained, but has not yet been fully extinguished
Air quality monitoring programs, in particular IQAir, also record that the air in Ternopil is indeed one of the most polluted in Ukraine. However, IQAir assesses the pollution as moderate.
This level, according to the resource, means that it is advisable to close the windows, and vulnerable groups are recommended to reduce outdoor walks.
Air defense did not cope?
As the Air Force Command reported, in total that night Russia attacked with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, one Iskander-K cruise missile, Kh-59 missiles, and 26 Shahed drones.
Out of all this, an “Iskander-K” missile, two Kh-59s and 25 “Shakheds” were shot down.
So it follows from the report that it was not possible to shoot down the ballistic “Iskander-M” and one “Shaheed”. The number of Kh-59 missiles launched over Ukraine is not mentioned in the air force, however, given their short range, they would not have been able to reach Ternopil Oblast.
After this attack, speculations began to spread again in the network that the west of Ukraine lacks anti-aircraft defense, and especially – mobile fire groups that effectively fight the “Shaheed”.
However, BBC Ukraine’s sources in the Ministry of Energy say that over the past month the situation with air defense has, on the contrary, improved. They note that the problem is not the number of launchers, but the shortage of interceptor missiles.
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