Missile strike on Ternopil and reported Bryansk shootdowns, 13 May 2023
A look back at two reported developments from 13 May 2023, one in western Ukraine and one across the border in Russia.
What did the war look like in the regions on the eve of 14 May 2023? Reports from 13 May 2023, the day before, pointed to a missile attack deep in western Ukraine and claims of aircraft losses just across the border.
On 13 May 2023, Russia launched cruise missiles at the city of Ternopil in western Ukraine. Two civilians were injured. The strike formed part of the wider series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure carried out between 2022 and 2023.
The same day, it was reported that two Russian Mi-8 helicopters and two fighter jets, an Su-34 and an Su-35, had been shot down in Bryansk Oblast. The reports were described as unconfirmed, with the aircraft said to have been downed there.
Taken together, the reports showed that the fighting was affecting areas far from the front line, from a western Ukrainian city struck by cruise missiles to a Russian border region where aircraft were reported lost.
