November 16, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainians will face further scheduled and unscheduled power cuts Wednesday, a day after Russia fired 85 missiles at the country mostly targeting critical infrastructure.

“Massive missile strikes on November 15 on the energy infrastructure and cold weather further complicated the situation with the power system,” the state energy company NPC Ukrenergo said in a statement Wednesday. 

The company said that repair crews were working “around the clock” to restore electricity.

Tuesday's strikes targeted power infrastructure in several regions of the country, leaving more than seven million people without power and sapping electricity supply nationwide, according to authorities.

The deputy head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, gave an update on Wednesday of the power situation around the country.

Seven Ukrainian regions still have areas without power, including the northeastern Kharkiv region, the western Lviv region and the northeastern Sumy region, while power has been restored in seven regions including central Kyiv and Odesa in the south.

Authorities in the recently liberated Ukrainian city of Kherson have shortened its nightly curfew in order to help with demining following the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Ukrainian forces swept into Kherson on Friday as Russian troops retreated to the east, delivering a major victory to Kyiv and marking one of the biggest setbacks for President Vladimir Putin since his invasion began.

Over the weekend, the city introduced a curfew from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. local time to ensure the safety of residents. People were prohibited from being on the streets and other public places in Kherson during those hours.

This has now been reduced to 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m in order to assist with new safety measures, particularly the removal of mines.

The Kherson city administration said on Telegram: “The curfew has been changed in order to carry out stabilization measures on the de-occupied territory of the settlements of the Kherson city territorial community, in particular, demining of this territory and taking measures for the safety of the civilian population of the community.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that allies held an "urgent meeting" at the G20 summit in Bali to "underscore our solidarity with Ukraine and Poland," after a deadly missile landed in eastern Poland on Tuesday.

"While other world leaders were working together to tackle the greatest challenges our people face, Putin was launching indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Ukraine," Sunak said on Wednesday during a press conference at the conclusion of the summit.

"None of this would be happening if it weren't for Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

Some context: The missile hit an area outside the rural Polish village of Przewodow, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border.

It marks the first time a NATO country has been directly hit during the almost nine-month conflict. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear and it is not known who fired the missile or where it was launched from.

Sunak and his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, have spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and highlighted the "importance of a full investigation" into the shelling, according to Downing Street.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and emphasized the "importance of a full investigation" into a missile that landed in Poland on Tuesday, according to Downing Street.

“The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Trudeau emphasised the importance of a full investigation into the circumstances behind missiles falling in Poland yesterday," Downing Street said in a statement on Wednesday.

Poland said a "Russian-made" missile hit the country on Tuesday, killing two people. The incident marks the first time a NATO country has been directly hit during the conflict. It is not known who fired the missile, or precisely where it was fired from.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the fall of a missile within Poland's border shows the West is moving closer to a world war.

Russia has denied it had anything to do with the missile that landed in eastern Poland on Tuesday and killed two people, roughly at the same time as Moscow launched its biggest wave of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in more than a month.

The strike marks the first time a NATO country has been directly hit during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is not known who fired the missile, or exactly where it was launched from, although the Polish Foreign Ministry has described it as "Russian-made."

Medvedev is the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council. He served as Russia's president between 2008 and 2012 and prime minister between 2012 and 2020.

China's Foreign Ministry called for calm on Wednesday after Poland said a “Russian-made missile” had landed in a village near its border with Ukraine, killing two people.

Asked about the incident in a regular briefing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said all parties should “remain calm, exercise restraint and prevent the situation from escalating."

Some context: Although China has consistently called for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, it has refused to condemn Russia's invasion. Instead, Beijing has called for the "legitimate security concerns of all parties" to be recognized, while blaming the US and NATO for the conflict.

Beijing and Moscow have become close partners in recent years as both face tensions with the West, with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring the two countries had a "no-limits" partnership weeks before Russia's invasion began

So far, Beijing has not provided direct military or financial aid to Moscow that could spark sanctions from Washington. Meanwhile, Chinese state media has previously reported on leader Xi Jinping’s support for international peace talks as a mechanism for ending the war. 

A spokesperson with the US National Security Council has declined to comment on reports the “Russian-made missile” that stuck eastern Poland killing two people was fired by Ukrainian forces, trying to intercept a Russian attack.

What did the report say? On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that three US officials said preliminary assessments suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces in an attempt to intercept an incoming Russian strike. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, according to the AP.

In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not explicitly deny the AP report. CNN has reached out to NATO about the AP report, but has not yet heard back.

The explosion: The missile landed outside the rural Polish village of Przewodow, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) west from the Ukrainian border on Tuesday afternoon, roughly the same time as Russia launched its biggest wave of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in more than a month.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident, which marks the first time a NATO country has been directly struck during the almost nine-month conflict, remain unclear, though the Polish Foreign Ministry has described it as “Russian-made.”

Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have used Russian-made munitions during the conflict, with Ukraine deploying Russian-made missiles as part of its air defense system. These older-generation weapons systems date back to the period when both Russia and Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union.

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“Most” G20 members states have “strongly condemned” Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the end of summit joint leaders’ declaration issued in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday.

The document, which runs to more than 1,100 pages, is not signed by individual attending leaders and acknowledged a difference of opinion at the summit, where scrutiny had fallen on China and India as Western countries pushed for a strong denunciation of the war in the closing statement.

China has repeatedly refused to call Russia’s attack on Ukraine an “invasion” or even a “war,” nor has it condemned Moscow for its military action.

"There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions," the document said. "Recognizing that the G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy."

G20 nations, including China, also stated their opposition to the prospect of nuclear weapons being used in conflict.

The G20 leader’s document stated: “The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”

European Union leaders and Australia stand “resolutely with Ukraine” and remain “unwavering” in their support for the country amid its war with Russia, according to a joint statement issued Wednesday at the G20 summit in Bali. 

The joint statement from Australian, European Council and European Commission leaders came after a meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The statement also acknowledged the war in Ukraine has caused “disruption and volatility” of global energy and food markets, and noted the role Australia can play in contributing to the stability of global gas markets through its steady supply to the Indo-Pacific.