Ukraine Daily

Wednesday, November 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

PRZEWODOW, POLAND: A funeral services car parked next to two police officers who secure access to the site of the explosion in the village of Przewodow in the Lublin Voivodeship, on November 16, 2022 in Przewodow, Poland. At least two people were killed Tuesday in a suspected missile attack in eastern Poland not far from the Ukrainian border. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Russia launches mass air strike across Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure. Explosions were reported in at least 11 out of 24 Ukrainian oblasts, and at least two large cities lost power.

Air Force: Russia fires 100 missiles at Ukraine. Russia launched about 100 missiles at Ukrainian cities on Nov. 15 in its latest mass attack on critical infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.

Energy Minister: Russia’s Nov. 15 strikes on Ukraine’s energy system largest since start of war. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said Russian strikes on Nov. 15 targeted power generation and transmission facilities across the country, affecting both Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and those of neighboring states. “After defeats in military and international arenas, the enemy (Russia) is carrying out another attempt at terrorist revenge and is trying to inflict maximum damage on our energy system on the eve of winter,” Halushchenko said.

Dutch Foreign Minister in Kyiv: Russia’s mass attack on Nov. 15 shows ‘Putin’s willingness to resort to criminal methods.’ Hoekstra was visiting Kyiv and had to take shelter during Russia’s mass missile strike. The attack has demonstrated “Putin’s willingness to resort to criminal methods,” according to Hoekstra, and the only answer to it is “to continue – continue to support Ukraine, continue to deliver weapons, continue to work on justice, continue to work on the provision of humanitarian aid.”

Russian strikes at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure cause power outages in Moldova. The Isaccea-Vulcanesti power line supplying the electricity to Moldova was automatically disconnected as a safety measure.

Official: Ukraine’s air defense downs 70 Russian missiles. Ukraine’s air defense downed 70 of the over 90 missiles launched by Russia at Ukraine, Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko reported. Tymoshenko said Russian strikes across Ukraine damaged 15 energy infrastructure sites. Earlier, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia fired around 100 missiles at Ukraine on Nov. 15, the largest mass attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the start of the war.

Rescuers save 566 miners trapped underground due to power outages in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration, reported that miners were stuck underground due to energy cut-offs caused by Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. All miners were reportedly rescued after a four-hour operation. On Nov. 15, Russia launched the largest attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the start of its full-scale war.

UK intelligence: Russia made Henichesk ‘temporary capital’ of occupied parts of Kherson Oblast. Russia will likely redeploy military command units to the Henichesk area in Kherson Oblast, the U.K. Defense Ministry said on Nov. 15. “The choice of this area as a command node hints at the priorities and concerns of Russian commanders as they consolidate their defenses in southern Ukraine,” the ministry said.

Why Ukraine chooses to negotiate on the battlefield, not at peace talks.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed his 10-point peace plan to G20 leaders in Bali on Nov. 15, he had only recently returned from a historic visit to Kherson, the liberation of which marks another great step towards the return of all the occupied territory.

Photo: Courtesy

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Ukraine war latest: Russia fires 90 missiles at Ukraine.

Russia unleashed a massive nationwide missile attack on Nov. 15, damaging 15 Ukrainian energy sites and causing emergency blackouts and mobile signal outages across the country. Of more than 90 missiles fired at Ukraine, the Air Force shot down 70.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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Explosion in Poland

Polish foreign ministry confirms Russian-made missile landed in its territory, killing 2. Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms late on Nov. 15 that a Russian-made missile landed in the Polish village of Przewodów, which is near the border with Ukraine. “On 15 November 2022, another hours-long, massive shelling took place [across] the entire territory of Ukraine and its critical infrastructure by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. At 3:40 pm, a Russia-made missile dropped on the village of Przewodów, district Hrubieszów, Lubelskie province, and resulted in the death of two citizens of the Republic of Poland,” Lukasz Jasina, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a statement.

Associated Press: Poland explosion might have been caused by Ukrainian forces firing at Russia’s missile. Three U.S. officials who spoke on conditions of anonymity told Associated Press that preliminary assessments into the Polish explosion suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian troops at an incoming Russian one amid Russia’s latest mass missile attack on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure on Nov. 15.

Zelensky: Russian missiles hit Poland, constitute ‘attack on collective security.’ President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 15 that the explosions reported in Poland are caused by Russian missiles, noting that they constitute a “very significant escalation” by Russia. “It is only a matter of time before Russian terror goes further,” Zelensky said. Two people were killed due to explosions in Przewodow, Poland, on Nov. 15.

Stoltenberg: NATO ‘monitoring the situation’ regarding explosions in Poland. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Nov. 15 that he has spoken with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Stoltenberg said the “Allies are closely consulting,” expressing his condolences amid the recent explosions that killed two people in Przewodow, Poland.

Reuters: Poland considering NATO Article 4 activation, puts some of its military on high alert. NATO ambassadors will meet on Nov. 16 at Poland’s request, Reuters reports citing two European diplomats, following an explosion in Poland close to the Ukrainian border reportedly caused by a Russian-made missile.

Russia denies its missiles hit Poland. “No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian means of destruction,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Nov. 15. The ministry called the reports “deliberate provocation(s) aimed at escalating the situation.” On Nov. 15, explosions were reported in Poland amid Russia’s mass attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Russia’s attack on Kyiv kills 1 person. The Kyiv Regional Military Administration reported that one person was killed due to a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District on Nov. 15. Earlier, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported that three apartment buildings were hit due to Russia’s attack.

Governor: Russian forces kill 1, injure 7 civilians in Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 15. According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, seven people were wounded in Russian attacks on Nov. 15 and one person was killed in Bakhmut. Law enforcement officers also discovered the bodies of three civilians killed during the Russian occupation: two in Sviatohirsk and one in Shchurove.

International response

Associated Press: White House asks for over $37 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden is asking Congress to provide more than $37 billion in additional aid for Ukraine amid recent Russia’s attacks on Nov. 15. The proposed package reportedly includes $21.7 billion in defense aid to continue providing equipment to Ukraine and to replenish depleted U.S. stockpiles, $14.5 billion for direct budget support, $626 million to provide nuclear security support, and another $900 million for healthcare and support services.

US sanctions companies, individuals involved in production, transfer of Iranian drones to Russia. The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled additional sanctions on Nov. 15 on the entities involved in the production and transfer of Iranian drones to Russia. The sanctions target several aviation-related companies, including Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, Success Aviation Services FZC and i Jet Global DMCC and two individuals – Abbas Djuma and Tigran Srabionov – who facilitated the Russian mercenary Wagner Group’s “acquisition of UAVs from Iran,” according to the department’s statement.

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