November 16, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Sana Noor Haq, Ed Upright, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 1:02 a.m. ET, November 17, 2022
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2:38 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

NATO tracked missile that landed in Poland, military official says

From CNN's Vasco Cotovio

A NATO aircraft flying above Polish airspace on Tuesday tracked the missile that landed in the country, an alliance military official told CNN on Tuesday.

“Intel with the radar tracks [of the missile] was provided to NATO and Poland,” the NATO military official added. 

NATO aircraft have been conducting regular surveillance around Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. The aircraft flying above Poland on Tuesday was monitoring events in Ukraine. 

The NATO official did not say who launched the missile that was tracked landing in Poland, nor where it was fired from.

2:38 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

Biden says it's "unlikely" missile that fell in Poland was fired from Russia

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez and Kevin Liptak

US President Joe Biden said preliminary information suggests it is unlikely the missile that caused an explosion in Poland on Tuesday and killed two civilians was fired from within Russia. 

Speaking to reporters after meeting with other world leaders in Bali, Indonesia, the president was asked if it was too early to say whether the projectile was fired from Russia. 

"There is preliminary information that contests that. I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate it," Biden responded.

He added that "it’s unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia. But we’ll see."

Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry said reports of Russian missiles landing in Poland were a "deliberate provocation."

2:19 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

World leaders hold emergency meeting as "Russian-made missile" kills 2 in Poland

From CNN's Tim Lister, Tara John, Antonia Mortensen, Anna Chernova, Emmet Lyons and Rhea Mogul

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attend an emergency meeting of global leaders, in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss the explosion in Poland that killed two people, on Wednesday.
President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attend an emergency meeting of global leaders, in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss the explosion in Poland that killed two people, on Wednesday. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

World leaders gathering at the G20 summit in Bali are attempting to diffuse a potential escalation in the months-long Ukraine war after a "Russian-made missile" landed inside NATO-member Poland killing two people.

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

The circumstances surrounding the incident, which marks the first time a NATO country has been directly struck during the almost nine-month conflict, remain unclear. It is not known who fired the missile, or where it was fired from, 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 their air defense system.

Speaking to reporters after holding an emergency meeting with G7 and NATO leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, US President Joe Biden said preliminary information suggests it was “unlikely” the missile was fired from within Russia, but he couldn’t say conclusively until the investigation was complete.

“We agreed to support Poland’s investigation into the explosion … And I’m going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened,” Biden said, adding that the leaders offered sympathy for the two people killed. “Then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed. There was total unanimity among the folks at the table,” he said.

Read the full story here.

2:38 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

Biden: We agreed to support Poland's investigation into the explosion

US President Joe Biden said he met with G7 and NATO leaders in Bali Wednesday and they agreed to support Poland's investigation into the explosion that happened at a village near the Ukraine border. 

The leaders held an emergency meeting following the incident. Biden said he briefed the leaders on his earlier discussion with Polish President Andrzej Duda and with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"We agreed to support Poland's investigation into the explosion in rural Poland near the Ukrainian border. And I'm going make sure we figure out exactly what happened," Biden said, adding that they offered sympathy over the death of two people in the explosion. "Then we're going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed. There was total unanimity among the folks at the table," he added.

The meeting attendees included Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

2:37 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

Polish prime minister: Evidence suggests missile that landed in Przewodów was a "single act" 

From CNN's Antonia Mortensen

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said evidence suggests the missile that landed in Przewodów in eastern Poland was a "single act" and there is no evidence of further missiles. 

However, Poland is increasing its military readiness, Morawiecki said Tuesday during his address in Warsaw following the Council of Ministers meeting. 

"We decided to increase the combat readiness of selected units of the Polish armed forces, with particular emphasis on airspace monitoring," Morawiecki said, explaining that “airspace monitoring is and will be carried out in an enhanced manner together with our allies." 

Morawiecki added that Poland is conducting thorough analysis and consultations with its allies regarding the potential use of Article 4 of the NATO Treaty — with his address echoing the caution and calm urged by other Polish officials. 

Earlier, the Polish Foreign Ministry said a "Russian-made missile" had landed in the town near the Ukrainian border and killed two people.

1:59 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

Polish president: "We don't know who fired" the missile

From CNN's Antonia Mortensen

Polish President Andrzej Duda said in a Tuesday address that Poland does not know who fired the missile that caused an explosion in Przewodów, a small town close to the border of Ukraine.

The president noted that the missile was "most likely produced in Russia."

"We are working calmly and in a very calm manner," Duda said during an address from the Bureau of National Security in Warsaw, as he urged calm and reassured the country of NATO allies' support.

Duda said the US is sending experts to investigate the site as part of a joint operation. 

He reiterated that Poland has raised the alert status for its military.

12:46 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

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

From CNN's Paul LeBlanc

A drone flies over Kyiv during an attack on October 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A drone flies over Kyiv during an attack on October 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday unveiled additional sanctions on the entities involved in the production and transfer of Iranian drones to Russia.

The sanctions target several aviation related companies and two individuals — Abbas Djuma and Tigran Khristoforovich Srabionov — who facilitated the Russian mercenary Wagner Group’s “acquisition of UAVs from Iran,” according to the department.

“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,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
“Today’s action exposes and holds accountable companies and individuals that have enabled Russia’s use of Iranian-built UAVs to brutalize Ukrainian civilians. This is part of our larger effort to disrupt Russia’s war effort and deny the equipment it needs through sanctions and export controls.”

Last month, the US sanctioned an air transportation provider for its involvement in the shipment of the Iranian drones to Russia. Such drones have played a significant role in the conflict in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in late February. They are capable of circling for some time in an area identified as a potential target and striking only once an enemy asset is identified.

Russia has launched a series of drone attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, striking vital civilian infrastructure and sowing terror in Ukrainian cities far from the front lines of the war.

Read more here.

12:14 a.m. ET, November 16, 2022

Wave of Russian missiles hit Ukraine after Zelensky outlines conditions for peace at G20 summit

From CNN's Julia Kesaieva, Vasco Cotovio, Tim Lister and Sana Noor Haq

Firefighters work to put out a fire in a residential building in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Firefighters work to put out a fire in a residential building in Kyiv on Tuesday. (Oleksandr Gusev/Reuters)

Russia launched its biggest wave of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in more than a month on Tuesday — hours after Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky proposed a peace plan in front of world leaders at the G20 summit in Indonesia.

Air raid sirens sounded out across Ukraine shortly after its leader outlined a 10-point plan including the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The strikes targeted power infrastructure in several regions of the country, leaving more than 7 million Ukrainians without power and the supply of electricity in a critical condition, according to senior Ukrainian officials.

The deputy head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said 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.

Read more here.

7:47 p.m. ET, November 15, 2022

Biden administration working to clean up Milley remarks on Ukraine diplomacy

From CNN's Kylie Atwood

The Biden administration is working to reassure the Ukrainian government, outside experts, and former US officials that it will not push Ukraine to imminently seek a diplomatic outcome to the war with Russia after the most senior US general publicly pushed for a more urgent diplomatic effort this winter.

The administration is organizing a phone call later this week with outside experts and former US officials to discuss their approach to the war, after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley’s comments prompted frantic outreach to the administration from those concerned about rewarding Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and undermining Ukraine’s military gains, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Some of those invited to the call — which will take place on Wednesday — said that they believe it’s part of the administration’s continued cleanup efforts after Milley’s remarks, the sources said.

Milley’s push for peace has spilled into the public last week in comments at the Economic Club of New York, Milley praised the Ukrainian army for fighting Russia to a stalemate, but said that an outright military victory is out of reach.

“When there’s an opportunity to negotiate, when peace can be achieved, seize it. Seize the moment,” Milley said.

Milley’s comments also rattled some Ukrainians and US officials, two US officials told CNN. They prompted the Ukrainians to worry about a possible change in US policy and administration officials grew concerned about who was being associated with Milley’s comments, with one official calling his view that Ukrainians should seek negotiations now “absurd.”

Read more here.