November 15, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Mike Hayes, Jack Guy and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

Updated 7:07 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022
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2:49 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Baltic states express solidarity with Poland after rockets or missiles reported to land on Polish soil

From Antonia Mortensen and James Frater

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern about reports of two missiles or rockets landing in a farm in Poland near the Ukrainian border.

"Latest news from Poland is most concerning. We are consulting closely with Poland and other Allies. Estonia is ready to defend every inch of NATO territory," the ministry tweeted.

“We’re in full solidarity with our close ally Poland,” it added.

Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said that "Latvia fully stands with Polish friends."

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that the country is "keeping a close contact" with Poland.

"Lithuania stands in strong solidarity with Poland," he tweeted," adding that “every inch of NATO territory must be defended!”

2:21 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Polish government official says national security meeting was called due to "emergency situation"

From CNN's Tim Lister, Emmet Lyons and Antonia Mortensen

A government spokesperson in Poland says a meeting of national security officials Tuesday night was called "due to the emergency situation."

He added that details would be released after the meeting.

The meeting follows reports that two missiles landed on a farm in eastern Poland, near the Ukrainian border.

A Polish official told CNN that nothing was confirmed yet and the investigation into the incident was continuing.

There's been no confirmation from Polish authorities that Russian missiles landed on Polish territory.

2:43 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Pentagon says the US is aware of reports of Russian missiles striking Poland

From CNN's Michael Conte

US Defense Department Press Sec. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder holds a press briefing at the Pentagon on October 18, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
US Defense Department Press Sec. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder holds a press briefing at the Pentagon on October 18, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

US Defense Department Press Sec. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the US is “aware of the press reports alleging that two Russian missiles have struck a location inside Poland near the Ukraine border” but does not currently have information to corroborate those reports.

The Defense Department repeated that the US “will defend every inch of NATO territory” as the US waits for more information. 

Ryder said the US is “very confident” in its force protection in Europe.

“When it comes to force protection, we always take the safety and security of our troops no matter where they’re serving very seriously,” said Ryder.

3:11 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Rockets or missiles reported to have landed in Poland near Ukrainian border, killing 2

From CNN's Tim Lister and Antonia Mortensen

Two missiles or rockets are reported to have hit a farm in Poland, near the town of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine.
Two missiles or rockets are reported to have hit a farm in Poland, near the town of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine. (MapBox)

Two missiles or rockets are reported to have hit a farm in Poland, near the border with Ukraine. Two people are reported killed.

Polish media showed an image of a deep impact and upturned farm vehicle at the site, near the town of Przewodow.

It's unclear where the projectiles came from.

However, the missiles or rockets landed at roughly the same time as a Russian missile attack on western Ukraine.

A government spokesperson said that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has convened the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs.

1:56 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Ukraine sustains Russian missile attacks across the country. Catch up here.

Russia unleashed a torrent of missiles on Ukraine Tuesday, the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnky delivered a video speech to the G20 and a week after Russian forces retreated from the southern city of Kherson.

Here's what we know so far.

Multiple cities and regions targeted: Multiple cities and districts — Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, the Poltava region, Chernihiv, Sumy, Rivne, the Khmelnytskyi region and the Vinnytsia region — were targeted by Russian missiles, according to a CNN analysis of the strikes.

Zelensky said Russia launched about 85 missiles, mainly on energy infrastructure.

The wave of strikes appears to be the largest since Oct. 10, when Russia stepped up its campaign to destroy electricity, water and gas infrastructure across Ukraine. 

Residential buildings struck in Kyiv: Three strikes hit apartment buildings in the capital, according to officials. The Kyiv city military administration reported that one person was killed in a strike that had a residential building in the Pecherskyi district.

Millions without power: At least seven million Ukrainians are without electricity as a result of the barrage of missile attacks Tuesday, according to an official, who said that 15 facilities of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been damaged during the Russian missile strikes. Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said that power engineers were beginning emergency power outages in the capital. At least half of consumers have no electricity, he said.

1:54 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

US sanctions firms involved in production and transfer of Iranian drones to Russia

From CNN's Michael Callahan

The US unveiled additional sanctions on entities involved in the production and transfer of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (aka drones) to Russia that have been “used in devastating attacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” the US Treasury announced Tuesday.

The sanctions include several aviation related companies and two people who facilitated the Russian mercenary Wagner Group’s “acquisition of UAVs from Iran.” The two are Abbas Djuma and Tigran Khristoforovich Srabionov.

“As we have demonstrated repeatedly, the United States is determined to sanction people and companies, no matter where they are located, that support Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Today’s action exposes and holds accountable companies and individuals that have enabled Russia’s use of Iranian-built UAVs to brutalize Ukrainian civilians,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said in a statement. “This is part of our larger effort to disrupt Russia’s war effort and deny the equipment it needs through sanctions and export controls.”
1:24 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Moldova suffers power cuts following Russian missile strikes across Ukraine

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Chris Liakos

Moldova has suffered "massive power cuts" following a series of Russian missile strikes across Ukraine that targeted energy facilities, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Andrei Spinu said Tuesday.

Spinu said in a post on his Telegram account that “following Russia's bombardment of the Ukrainian power system,” one of the power lines carrying electricity to Moldova has been disconnected.

The minister added that the line was not damaged but automatically disconnected as a safety measure and that authorities are working to restore the connection.

Spinu said that the Russian aggression against Ukraine “directly affects” Moldova, warning that the risks of power cuts remain high. 

“Any Russian bombing of Ukrainian power plants could lead to a repeat of today's situation,” he said, urging residents to continue to save electricity.

12:37 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

7 million people in Ukraine are without electricity, president's office says

From CNN's Denis Lapin in Kyiv

The deputy head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, says that more than seven million Ukrainians are without electricity as a result of the barrage of missile attacks Tuesday.

Tymoshenko said that 15 facilities of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been damaged during the Russian missile strikes, but Ukrainian air defenses had shot down 70 of more than 90 missiles fired at Ukraine. 

3:43 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

UK foreign secretary says missile attacks on Ukraine shows "Putin's weakness"

From CNN's Chris Liakos in Paris

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly speaks to the media during a doorstep before a meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers on November 4, in Muenster, Germany. 
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly speaks to the media during a doorstep before a meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers on November 4, in Muenster, Germany.  (Janine Schmitz/Photothek/Getty Images)

The missile attacks targeting Ukrainian cities "shows only Putin’s weakness," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. 

"The callous targeting of Ukrainian cities with more sickening missile attacks today shows only Putin’s weakness," Cleverly said in a tweet. "Putin is losing on the battlefield and – as we saw today at the G20 – diplomatically too.