Ukraine war latest: Russia will test NATO's Article 5 soon, top Swedish general warns
Editor's note: This was Ukraine war latest for Nov. 20. Read the latest edition here.
Hello, this is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,366 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
Russia will soon test NATO's Article 5 collective defense treaty and Europe must be prepared to use force to deter Moscow, Swedish Chief of Defense Gen. Michael Claesson has said.
"I'm sure and I'm convinced that they would be ready to test Article 5 of NATO at any point in the Baltic states or in some other part of Europe as well," he said in an interview with Politico published Nov. 19.
"They are prepared to take enormous strategic risks to gain whatever they see possible to gain — we have seen it since Chechnya, we have seen it in Georgia, we have seen it in Crimea."
Claesson also said Europe was not prepared either mentally or militarily for a war with Russia, which he described as "a systemic conflict… that will take a long time to solve."
"We are basically talking about a generation … this is something that will not go away with potential ceasefire or a peace agreement in Ukraine."
Claesson was clear that diplomatic means alone would not be enough to stop Russia further encroaching into Europe.
"The only language which is understood is force," Claesson said. "We have to be firm … backing off all the time is not the right answer because … it incentivizes them."
Read the full interview at Politico.
British Terrahawk Paladin air defense systems deployed in Ukraine
Last updated 8:29 p.m. Kyiv time.
Pictures have emerged of a U.K.-made Terrahawk Paladin air defense system deployed in Ukraine, the first such instance since they were promised to Kyiv in October 2023.
The system was pictured in a video released by the 156th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the Ukrainian Air Force. The Terrahawk Paladin is a mobile air defense system designed to track and destroy air, ground, and even sea targets at short range.
It is equipped with either a 30mm or 40mm Bushmaster II machine gun.
When they were announced in 2023, then U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps said that the package would help "protect civilians from Putin’s barbaric bombing campaign," as well as assist in offensive capabilities against minefields and other Russian defenses.
Russian drone strike destroys 10,000 UN food kits in Dnipro, Suspilne reports
A Russian drone strike in Dnipro on the evening of Nov. 19 damaged a UN World Food Program (WFP) warehouse and destroyed at least 10,000 food kits intended for civilians near the front line, Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne reported on Nov. 20.
Acting regional military administration head Vladyslav Haivanenko said the drones sparked a fire and damaged the facility, according to Suspilne No one was injured.
The agency said its warehouses and vehicles in Ukraine have been hit more than 60 times over the past 18 months, stressing that attacks on civilian infrastructure are banned under international humanitarian law.
The attack comes a month after Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged UN member states to condemn Russia’s Oct. 14 strike on a UN humanitarian convoy in Kherson Oblast, which destroyed one truck and badly damaged another
US volunteer, Ukrainian journalist injured in Russian drone attack near Lyman, Donetsk Oblast
Last updated 6:23 p.m. Kyiv time.
A U.S. volunteer and a Ukrainian journalist have been injured in a Russian drone attack near the city of Lyman, Donestk Oblast, Suspilne Donbas reported on Nov. 20.
According to the outlet, the volunteer — who has not been named — was working the White Angels organization that helps evacuate civilians from near the front lines.
"We were just driving, and suddenly - bang. I don't quite understand what really happened. We're here to evacuate people," he said.
Ukrainian journalist Serhiy Horbatenko suffered acubarotrauma from the blast. He said the volunteer suffered cuts to his face.
Ukraine repatriates 1,000 bodies that Russia claims are fallen Ukrainian soldiers
Last updated 3:34 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine has received the bodies of 1,000 soldiers which Russia claims are Ukrainian soldiers, it was announced on Nov. 20.
According to Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly attempted to hand over bodies of its own killed soldiers passed off as Ukrainians, attempting to hide the scale of its losses from the Russian public.
"Repatriation measures were carried out today. One thousand bodies were returned to Ukraine, which, according to the Russian side, belong to Ukrainian servicemen," Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) said in a post on Telegram.
Agreements on the return of fallen soldiers and exchanges of POWs were one of the few tangible results of the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul between May and July.
The latest operation was carried out jointly by the Coordination Headquarters, the Armed Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Interior Ministry, the Ombudsman's office, and other bodies, with the support of the Red Cross.
Poland to join PURL initiative
Last updated 2:46 p.m. Kyiv time.
Poland will will join the PURL initiative and provide $100 million for the urgent purchase of U.S. weapons for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Nov. 20.
The PURL agreement, signed between the U.S. and NATO on July 14, allows for the transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine, funded by European countries.
"We intend to transfer $100 million from the budget, which is already in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to military assistance to Ukraine," Sikorski said in comments reported by European Pravda.
Zelensky posts footage of rescue operation at destroyed Ternopil high-rise
Last updated 1:17 p.m. Kyiv time.
Search and rescue operations in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil have entered a second day, with 22 people still missing after a Russian attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 20.
All night long, our rescuers worked in Ternopil, and search-and-rescue operations are still ongoing. 22 people are still missing – the effort to find them continues. More than 230 first responders from nine regions of Ukraine have been deployed. In some areas, work can only be… pic.twitter.com/3wrrdwIiNd
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 20, 2025
"Over 230 rescuers from nine regions of Ukraine are involved in the operation. In some areas, work can only be done manually due to severe damage and fragmentation of structures," he said.
Russian spy ship Yantar targets RAF pilots with lasers near U.K. waters, London says
Last updated 12:48 p.m. Kyiv time.
For the first time, the Russian spy ship Yantar used lasers against Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots who were tracking it near U.K. waters, Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey said on Nov. 19
He said he ship entered U.K. waters for the second time this year in recent weeks and was located north of Scotland when the incident occurred.
Healey called the incident a deeply "dangerous move" that would be taken seriously.
"My message to Russia and to Putin is this: we see you. We know what you're doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready," he added.
Healey said that any attempt to impede, disrupt, or endanger pilots flying British military planes is "extremely dangerous."
The Russian Embassy to the U.K. released a statement on Nov. 19, saying that "the endless accusations and suspicions of the British leadership only provoke a smile" and that Russia's actions do not affect the interests of the U.K. are not aimed at undermining its security.
"However, London's Russophobic course and the whipping up of militaristic hysteria are contributing to the further degradation of European security, creating the conditions for new dangerous situations," it added.
Oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan Oblast reportedly hit in drone attack
Last updated 7:01 p.m. Kyiv time.
An oil refinery was reportedly hit in Ryazan Oblast overnight on Nov. 20, local residents claimed.
Local authorities have not reported damage to the Ryazan oil refinery, but have confirmed that a drone attack took place overnight.
"Last night, air defense and electronic warfare destroyed drones over the territory of the Ryazan Oblast. Due to falling debris, a fire broke out on the territory of one enterprise," Governor Pavel Malkov claimed.
Ukraine regularly launches strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia and occupied territories as Moscow continues to wage its war.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reports, and Ukraine's military has not yet commented.
At least 1 killed, 8 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least 25 people have been killed and 131 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 19.
Russia launched 136 drones at Ukraine, of which 106 were intercepted, the Air Force reported, adding 29 hits were recorded at 16 locations.
Rescuers are still searching the site of a Russian strike in Ternopil Oblast which hit two residential high-rise buildings overnight on Nov. 19. Twenty-six people were already reported killed, but a further 22 people are still unaccounted for, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said on Nov. 20.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks injured two people over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Donetsk Oblast, two people were injured, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, three men were injured, Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko reported.
In Sumy Oblast, one man died and another was injured in Russian drone attacks, local authorities reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,162,120 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,162,120 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. 20.
The number includes 890 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,357 tanks, 23,597 armored fighting vehicles, 67,703 vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,530 artillery systems, 1,546 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,247 air defense systems, 428 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 82,470 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
