Ukraine war latest: Russia bombed itself 8 times in 11 days, HUR intercepted call suggests
Hello, this is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,363 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
A Russian woman living in Belgorod Oblast has said that Russian Forces dropped eight bombs in the area over the course of 11 days, according to an intercepted call released by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on Nov. 17.
Belgorod oblast borders Ukraine and often comes under attack as it is one of the regions from which Russian forces launch missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
"In 11 days, Russian pilots dropped eight bombs — eight bombs on the territory of the Belgorod Oblast. Can you imagine?" the woman said in a call released by HUR on Nov. 17.
She added that the day before the call, 12 people were wounded, and two minibuses, eight cars, and an entire parking lot were damaged.
"Russian aviation continues to strike the civilian population of Ukraine with aerial bombs equipped with guidance and correction modules. Due to the technical defects of Russian-made weapons, some of the bombs do not reach their target and fall on the heads of Russians living in the border area," HUR said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the contacts of the call but there have been multiple documented occasions when Russian forces have accidentally bombed Belgorod Oblast.
A document obtained by the Washington Post (WP) suggested Russia dropped glide bombs on its own territory nearly 40 times in one year, most likely due to malfunctioning guidance systems, the outlet reported on July 1. Believed to have been compiled by Belgorod city emergency department, the document records 38 incidents in the year from April 2023 to April 2024.
New pictures of Flamingo missile emerge after Czech volunteers raise money for 2 missiles
New pictures of the Flamingo missile emerged after volunteers for a Czech crowdfunding campaign raised 16,1 million crowns ($756,700) for the production of a Flamingo missile for Ukraine.
The Flamingo is a domestically produced missile which was described by President Zelensky as "the most successful" missile Ukraine currently has. It has a claimed range of 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) and a 1,150 kilogram warhead.
Ukrainian Telegram channel "Military journal" on Nov. 17 has published photos showing a Flamingo missile for which funds were raised.
A photo appeared online of the Flamingo missile worth half a million dollars, which the Czechs raised in just two days. pic.twitter.com/WvVcwJkQTt
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 17, 2025
The organisation "Darek pro Putina" (Gift for Putin) intended to collect 12,5 million crowns ($595,000) for one Flamingo missile, but fundraised 16,1 million in less than two days, spokesperson Martin Ondracek told Idnes.
According to Ondracek, the missile manufacturer, Fire Point, will provide two missiles, doubling the value of the donation.
The first missile will be named DANA 1 in honor of the late nuclear physicist Dana Drabova, a Czech physicist and politician who passed away last month. The second missile will be named DANA 2.
The additional funds raised — 3.5 million crowns ($166,000) above the initial goal — will be distributed based on a public social media vote.
The organization plans to ask supporters on social media whether to use the additional funds to purchase ambulances, plastic explosives, or a training aircraft for the Ukrainian army.
'Our defense is falling apart' — Prominent Ukrainian activist criticizes military, political leadership
Last updated 6:29 p.m. Kyiv time.
Prominent Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko criticized his country's military and political leadership on Nov. 17, warning that "we are headed toward a disaster of strategic magnitude, which could lead to the loss of statehood."
In an X post accompanied by screenshots of a critical Facebook post by a Ukrainian journalist, Sternenko stressed that remaining silent about the issues with Ukraine's military and political approach to the country's defense "is a crime."
"Our defense is falling apart," Sternenko, who works closely with various military units to supply their immediate needs, such as drones, said. "Under a stunning silence about it."
Sternenko's warning comes as Russian troops pierce through Ukrainian defenses on multiple hot spot sectors of the war, including Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk Oblast and near the town of Huliaipole in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
'Hell on Earth' — military releases pictures of devastated Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast
Last updated 3:12 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine's Ground Forces published photos of destruction in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, on Nov. 17, showing the devastating toll Russia's grinding advances in the east are having on Ukrainian cities.
Since June 2025, Kostiantynivka has been facing a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" as ongoing Russian strikes destroy critical infrastructure, leaving residents without electricity, gas, and a stable water supply.
A report accompanying the photos in a post on Facebook said there were still 4,800 civilians left in the city and that local authorities had said evacuation was still possible.
"However, numerous burned cars on the outskirts of the city and on all major roads indicate how dangerous and difficult evacuation operations are now," the Ground Forces said.
"And staying civilian in the city is more dangerous. The enemy is constantly dropping controlled aerial bombs on residential quarters with huge charge and turning them into the cells of hell on Earth."
Kostiantynivka has been under constant drone attacks that have brought significant destruction to the city over the spring and summer, as reported by Kyiv Independent's journalists who spent 24 hours in the city in August.
As of November, the city is now surrounded on three sides by Russian forces, according to DeepState monitoring group.
Ukraine to purchase 100 Rafale jets, Zelensky says after signing defense declaration with Macron
Last updated 3:13 p.m. Kyiv time.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of intent on cooperation in the defense sector on Nov. 17, with Kyiv aiming to acquire Rafale jets and new SAMP/T air defenses.
The declaration, signed during Zelensky's official trip to France, concerns "acquisition of defense equipment" by Ukraine, the Ukrainian Presidential Office said. Zelensky called the signing a "truly historic" moment for both nations.
The agreement enables Ukraine to purchase materiel from the French defense industry, "including 100 Rafale F4 aircraft for Ukraine's combat aviation by 2035, SAMP/T air defense systems, radars for air defense systems, air-to-air missiles, and aerial bombs," Zelensky said on social media.
The Rafale is a 4.5-generation multirole fighter, considered one of the most advanced among European jets.
Speaking at a press conference after the signing, the Ukrainian president clarified that Kyiv would receive eight SAMP/T systems, each comprising six launchers.
Macron said the agreement covers a next-generation SAMP/T system now in development, with Ukraine expected to receive the first deployed version. France has previously supplied Ukraine with a SAMP/T battery, delivered jointly with Italy.
Ukraine's HUR releases new data on foreign equipment used in Russian weapons, focusing on eastern Asian companies
Last updated 1:31 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) on Nov. 17 published new data on foreign equipment that Russia uses in weapon production, focusing on Eastern Asian companies, including the Japanese Okuma Corporation, Korean Samsung Machine Engineering Company, and Taiwanese AKIRA SEIKI.
HUR said that its list of equipment from Eastern Asian companies is helping Moscow produce a Unified Module for Gliding and Guidance (UMPK) kit for glide bombs, as well as missiles and artillery ammunition.
Ukraine has long highlighted Western and foreign components used in Russian weapons to call for tougher sanctions that would make it more difficult for Moscow to circumvent them.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in October, for instance, that the missiles and drones that Russia used to attack Ukraine on Oct. 5 "contained over 100,000 foreign-made components," including those from American, German, and British companies.
"The data obtained is already being used to develop sanctions initiatives and restrict the production capacity of the Russian military-industrial complex," HUR said in its Nov. 17 Telegram post.
Japanese Okuma and Chinese Hision machining centers' equipment were included in the newly released data. HUR claimed that Russia's Tactical Missile Armament Corporation is using them to produce planning and correction modules for weapons, such as glide bombs and cruise missiles.
'Act of sabotage' — Explosion hits Polish railway track used for Ukraine aid shipments, Warsaw says
Last updated 11:36 a.m. Kyiv time.
A railway track between Warsaw and Lublin was blown up in an "unprecedented act of sabotage," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Nov. 17.
The Polish prime minister noted that the route is "crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine."
"We will catch the perpetrators, whoever they are," Tusk said on X.
Warsaw has been raising alarm over the mounting cases of sabotage and espionage activities targeting Poland in recent years, with numerous incidents linked to Russian or Belarusian intelligence services.
Local police said a train driver reported damage on the railway line on Nov. 16. The explosion occurred near the village of Mika in the Masovian province, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the Polish-Ukrainian border.
At least 6 killed, 28 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least six people have been killed and 28 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 17.
Overnight Russia attacked Ukraine with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 128 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, according to the Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 91 drones.
Thirty-two drone strikes occurred at 15 locations, and two missile strikes occurred at two locations.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person, injured 11 over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Russian Forces struck critical transport and social infrastructure, residential areas in Kherson Oblast, damaging a high-rise building, two houses, a farm building, ambulances, a private car, and a gas pipeline.
In Donetsk Oblast, Russian strikes killed one person, injured one, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Chernihiv Oblast, a 54-year-old woman, gas station employee, was injured, according to Governor Viacheslav Chaus.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia targeted 11 settlements, including Kharkiv. The Russian missile strike on the town of Balakliia in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast killed three and wounded 15, including four children, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Elsewhere in the Kharkiv Oblast, one person was killed, five injured.
Russia also attacked energy infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Donetsk oblasts, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said on Nov. 17.
"Repair and restoration work is continuing on the damaged energy infrastructure facilities," the statement says.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,159,420 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,159,420 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Nov. 17.
The number includes 1,160 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 23,594 (+3) armored fighting vehicles, 67,536 (+72) vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,486 (+17) artillery systems, 1,246 (+2) anti-aircraft systems, 1,544 (+1) multiple rocket launchers, and 81,499 (+213) drones.
