War in Ukraine: What is known about Russia's “massive attack” and Poland's involvement

Several missiles hit Ukraine early on Monday morning. Towns in the west of the country, close to the border with Poland, were affected. The Polish army scrambled its fighter jets in response to these attacks.

It was a series of violent strikes that hit the whole of Ukraine very early on Sunday, November 17. It was “one of the largest” air attacks launched by Russia, said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andrii Sybiha. The capital Kiev was hit, as well as the city of Zaporizhzhia, in the southeast of the country, the port of Odessa on the Black Sea, and Mykolaiv in the south. Air raid warnings were issued to the population, many of whom were probably asleep at the time of the attacks, before 6 a.m. The strikes came two days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin for the first time in two years.
Ukrainian energy operator DTEK announced on Telegram “emergency power outages” in the kyiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko denounced a “massive attack” on the country's electricity system. The power outages come as Ukraine is about to endure its third winter of war.

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In total, 120 missiles and 90 drones were reportedly sent by Russia, as Volodymyr Zelensky denounced on Telegram. He speaks of a “terrorist” attack by Russia on Ukrainian territory. According to the latest report late Sunday morning, eight people lost their lives in these attacks, including two women and two railway workers. Six people were also injured, including two children. Material damage is also to deplore, whether on infrastructure, houses, buildings or cars.

For its part, Russia has denounced strikes in the Belgorod region. Several drones were reportedly launched by Kiev, but most were reportedly shot down.

Poland's involvement

Russia's strikes hit areas particularly close to the border with Poland. The regions of Zhytomyr and Lviv were hit, which has worried the NATO member country. The Polish military command center reported, at 6:05, the takeoff of fighter jets. “The measures taken are aimed at ensuring security in the areas bordering the threatened areas,” assures the army. This maneuver seems to have been only preventive, as Poland recalled its planes late in the morning. “Thanks to the end of Russian strikes against targets in Ukraine, military aviation operations in Polish airspace have ended and deployed forces and assets have resumed their normal operational activities,” the Polish Army Command announced on X.