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Key developments on Nov. 16-17:
- Russia launches one of the largest aerial strikes on Ukraine, targets energy grid
- EU has 'convincing' evidence of reported Chinese attack drone production for Russia, media reports
- Russia producing thermobaric drones, capable of causing 'terrifying' civilian harm, AP reports
- Ukrainian partisans say they sabotaged railway in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast
- Russian defense plant over 1,300 km from Ukraine reportedly hit by drone strike
Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight on Nov. 17, leaving at least seven civilians dead and at least 19 injured across multiple regions.
Multiple loud explosions were reported in the capital, Kyiv, between 6:30 and 7:15 a.m. local time, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.
Russia's latest barrage of missile strikes marks the first mass missile attack on Kyiv in over 2 months, with Russia instead utilizing more frequent drone strikes in recent months to attack the capital.
Further explosions were also heard in the cities of Kropyvnytskyi, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, as well as in the Khmelnytskyi and Volyn oblasts.
Russia targeted "power generation and transmission facilities throughout Ukraine," according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
"The transmission system operator has urgently introduced emergency shutdowns," Halushchenko said. Officials have been warning that Russia may resume strikes on the energy grid as temperatures drop, mirroring the strategy used in the spring and summer of this year and in the autumn-winter season of 2022-2023.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said that as a result of falling drone debris, an apartment on the fourth floor of a five-story residential building caught fire in the Pechersk neighborhood of the city. One person was hospitalized as a result of the attack, while one other person received medical treatment on-site.
Debris was also reported in the Holosiivskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of the capital, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Several residential and commercial buildings, a club building, and a library were damaged in the capital.
A 45-year-old woman was injured in Kyiv Oblast, suffering a head wound, Governor Ruslan Kravchenko reported. Fallen debris damaged industrial facilities, 21 houses, and other buildings across the region.
In addition to the attack on Kyiv, at least two people were killed and seven injured, including two children, in the city of Mykolaiv amid Russia’s mass drone and missile attack, regional governor Vitalii Kim reported.
In the city of Dnipro, a 42-year-old man suffered shrapnel wounds as a result of the attack. High-rise buildings, an educational institution, and a car were damaged, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
Russia also struck a railway depot in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing two railway workers and injuring three, Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) said on its Telegram channel. It is not immediately clear whether the number of injured includes the 42-year-old man reported previously by the governor.
Critical infrastructure facilities were hit in the Vinnytsia, Odesa, and Volyn oblasts, leading to power outages and emergency shutdowns, regional authorities said. Odesa also faced problems with the water supply.
Infrastructure facilities were also targeted in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Two people were reported injured in the regional center, the city of Zaporizhzhia. A 59-year-old man was hospitalized, and an 18-year-old man received medical assistance on the spot, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
In Lviv Oblast, 12 garages caught fire due to fallen missile debris. A 66-year-old woman was killed in her car by the debris in the Sheptytskyi (formerly Chervonohrad) district, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported. Two more people were injured.
Two people were killed, and a 17-year-old boy was injured in Odesa Oblast, Governor Oleh Kiper reported. One civilian was reportedly hospitalized with serious injuries in Poltava Oblast.
An outbuilding and a house were damaged in Zhytomyr Oblast. Regional authorities also reported that a critical infrastructure site was damaged in Rivne Oblast, and a house was damaged by fallen debris in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
"Cruise, ballistic, and air-launched ballistic missiles, Zirkons, Iskanders, Kinzhals. In total, around 120 missiles and 90 drones (were launched by Russia)," President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the attack.
This makes it one of the most massive strikes launched at Ukraine throughout the full-scale war.
"Our air defenses destroyed more than 140 aerial targets... We are grateful to our air defense forces involved in the attack, our aviation – F-16, Sukhoi, and MiG pilots – mobile fire groups, electronic warfare units, everybody worked in an organized manner," Zelensky said.
In response to the mass attack, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces scrambled fighter jets to protect the country's own airspace. "Ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness," the Operational Command added.
Ukraine's Air Force issued air raid alerts across all regions of the country around 6 a.m. local time, warning of the attack. The alert ended in much of Ukraine at around 9:30 a.m.
Ukraine's Air Force reported earlier in the night that Tu-95 strategic bombers took off from the Russian airfields of Olenya in Murmansk Oblast. Later in the night, the War Monitor Telegram channel reported that a total of 17 Tu-95 strategic bombers were in flight, with seven taking off at the Engels airbase in Saratov Oblast.
In recent months, Russia has primarily focused on large-scale drone attacks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses in cities across the country. The Ukrainian Air Force previously said that Russia launched at least 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and similar UAVs imitating Shaheds against Ukraine between August and October 2024.
While missile attacks are a common occurrence in Ukraine's eastern oblasts, most Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, have largely been spared from large-scale Russian missile attacks on infrastructure in recent months — with the last large-scale missile attack occurring in late August.
Martin Fornusek
EU has 'convincing' evidence of reported Chinese attack drone production for Russia, media reports
The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell reportedly informed European nations of "convincing" evidence of Chinese production "of lethal aid" to Russia, ahead of an upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers, the German media outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Nov. 15, citing three EU officials.
The lethal aid in question reportedly refers to a Chinese firm's role in attack drone production for Russia in its war against Ukraine. Reuters reported on Sept. 25 citing European intelligence sources that Russia has secretly established a development and production program in China for attack drones to be used in the war.
"We have had reports from intelligence sources on the existence of a factory inside China producing drones which are shipped to Russia," a senior EU official told Politico on Nov. 15.
The official told Politico that the EU has yet to determine whether Beijing is aware of the firm's drone production. China's foreign ministry has previously denied knowledge of the project.
In a separate comment to FAZ, a EU diplomat acknowledged that while there is not any direct evidence to implicate Beijing in the drone production, the official said it was difficult "to imagine that something like this would happen and the Chinese government wouldn't know anything about it at all."
China has positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed the country against Western sanctions.
Beijing has also emerged as one of Russia's leading sources of dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense industry.
In an interview with ABC News aired on Sept. 24., President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is using Chinese satellites to take pictures of Ukraine's nuclear facilities for possible future attacks.
Although it is unclear what concrete steps the EU will take in response to the reported drone production, implementing additional sanctions may be on the table for the European bloc — including adding more Chinese companies to a list of firms facing EU sanctions, an EU diplomat told Politico.
U.S. President Joe Biden is also expected to discuss China's support for Russia on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Peru on Nov. 16.
According to the White House, Biden is expected to voice his "deep concern" regarding China's "support for Russia's war against Ukraine."
Martin Fornusek
Russia producing thermobaric drones, capable of causing 'terrifying' civilian harm, AP reports
Russia recently began producing thermobaric drones to be used alongside decoy drones in Ukraine, which are capable of causing severe damage to civilians, an investigation by the Associated Press (AP) revealed on Nov. 16.
While thermobaric warheads have reportedly been previously used by Russia in Ukraine on missiles, their use on attack drones would mark an escalation of the warhead's use.
Thermobaric warheads create a wave of high pressure and heat that is capable of penetrating thick walls, AP reported. The damage caused by thermobaric attack drones would cause damage that would be "simply terrifying" for civilian populations to endure, including collapsed lungs, crushed eyeballs, and brain damage, according to a source familiar with Russian drone production.
While controversial, thermobaric munitions are not prohibited under international law.
According to the AP investigation, the thermobaric weapons would be deployed alongside decoy drones meant to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Decoy drones have been regularly used in recent months as Russia has increased its drone attack on Ukrainian cities since the beginning of September.
The Ukrainian Air Force previously said that Russia launched at least 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and similar UAVs imitating Shaheds against Ukraine between August and October 2024.
The Russian production of thermobaric drones, codenamed Operation False Target, is currently in production in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the country's Tatarstan Republic.
Russia continues to use drones to overwhelm Ukrainian cities ahead of expected attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities ahead of the winter months. The use of thermobaric drones would likely be used primarily to penetrate thick walls and underground energy substation, ideal for targeting energy facilities.
In recent months, Iran and China have continued to supply components for Russian attack drones.
Reuters reported on Sept. 25 citing European intelligence sources that Russia has secretly established a development and production program in China for attack drones to be used in the war in Ukraine. While Iran has continuously produced Shahed-type drones for Russia's use in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell reportedly informed European nations of "convincing" evidence of Chinese production "of lethal aid" to Russia, ahead of an upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers on Nov. 18, the German media outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported, citing three EU officials.
China has positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed the country against Western sanctions.
Beijing has also emerged as one of Russia's leading sources of dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense industry.
Martin Fornusek
Ukrainian partisans say they sabotaged railway in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast
The Atesh partisan group sabotaged a key railway in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, disabling electrical equipment and causing disruptions to Russia's military supply chain, the group claimed on Nov. 16.
An Atesh operative burned a relay cabinet near the Russian-occupied city of Tokmak, the partisans said, publishing purported footage of the sabotage without specifying the date.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
According to the group, the sabotage occurred between two rail stations in occupied Tokmak.
0:00/0:151×Purported footage of a sabotage of a railway cabinet relay near the occupied city of Tokmak. Video published on Nov. 16 2024. (Atesh/Telegram)
"Russian forces are intensifying their offensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction. This makes sabotage operations a serious problem for them, complicating logistics and disrupting the regular supply of ammunition and fuel," the group said on Telegram.
"These interruptions gradually undermine the combat effectiveness of Russian troops, slow their offensive actions, and increase losses, ultimately reducing their chances of achieving their objectives," the group added.
In early October, Russian troops reportedly renewed their attack in the Zaporizhzhia sector. Kyiv warned of a potential Russian push in the southern region, just as Moscow's troops continue advancing in Ukraine's east.
Amid increased attacks in the region, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, told the news outlet Suspilne on Nov. 12 that the Russian army is deploying trained assault groups to frontline positions in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The Atesh movement regularly commits sabotage attacks in both occupied areas of Ukraine and inside Russia itself.
On at least two different occasions, the saboteurs have previously claimed to attack rail lines inside Russia, targeting North Korean ammunition transported throughout the country.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
Russian defense plant over 1,300 km from Urkaine reportedly hit by drone strike
A drone strike damaged a factory on Nov. 17 in the Russian city of Izhevsk, more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the Ukrainian border, according to Alexander Brechalov, head of Russia's Udmurt Republic.
The factory produces air defense systems, radars, and other equipment for the Russian military, said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"Uknown drones attacked the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol in Russia. There, Russia produces the Tor air defense systems, as well as radars and other components," Kovalenko wrote on his Telegram channel.
Brechalov reported an explosion and a "drone crash" at an unnamed "factory workshop" on the city's Lenina Street. One person was injured, and the crash damaged the facility's windows, the official claimed, adding that there "was no serious damage."
Citing local residents, the Russian Telegram channel Astra also reported that the 300th production unit of the Kupol defense plant, standing at the intersection of Lenina and 40 Let Pobedy streets, was targeted.
The claims could not be independently verified. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) says it cannot provide any information at the moment in response to the Kyiv Independent's request for comment.
Izhevsk is the regional center of the Udmurt Republic, lying in central Russia west of the Ural Mountains. This would mark the first drone attack against the region during the entire war.
Throughout the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has carried out a number of long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory, primarily targeting the country's oil and defense industries.
Dmytro Basmat
