Russians conducted a missile strike on Kharkiv Oblast injuring 15, including 3 children

An overnight Russian missile strike on the town of Balakliia in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast killed three people and wounded 15 others, including three children, local authorities reported on November 17.

According to Vitalii Karabanov, head of Balakliia’s Military Administration, two Russian missiles struck an area near residential buildings in the town center. The injured children were born in 2007, 2010, and 2011.

Russian forces have intensified their offensive in eastern Kharkiv Oblast this year, leading to more frequent strikes on settlements far from the front line. Balakliia, located over 60 kilometers from the fighting, was occupied early in the full-scale invasion and liberated during Ukraine’s 2022 counteroffensive.

Karabanov said that nine of the wounded were hospitalized, and rescue efforts were continuing as of 4 a.m.

Russian forces advanced in two oblasts

Russian forces have made new advances in parts of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, according to DeepState, a Ukrainian military analysis group.

Troops pushed forward near the villages of Yampil and Novomarkove in Donetsk Oblast, and near Rivnopillia and Novouspenivske in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The updates come after Russia struck the town of Balakliia in Kharkiv Oblast overnight on 16–17 November, hitting residential areas with two missiles.

 An explosion hit a Polish railway track used for Ukraine aid shipments

A railway line between Warsaw and Lublin was blown up in what Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an unprecedented act of sabotage. He stressed that this route is vital for transporting aid to Ukraine and vowed the perpetrators would be caught.

The explosion occurred on Nov. 16 near the village of Mika, about 130 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The blast reportedly targeted a passing train. Authorities are now investigating and inspecting another damaged section of the track. The Polish military will check around 120 kilometers of the line leading to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed solidarity with Poland and said Kyiv is ready to help. He suggested the attack may be another Russian hybrid operation, as Poland has faced increasing sabotage and espionage attempts linked to Russian and Belarusian intelligence.

Poland, shares a long border with Ukraine, remains a key transit hub for delivering military aid to Kyiv.