Here are the key events from day 1,361 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Civilians practise military skills on a training ground in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Saturday, November 15, 2025 [Andrii Marienko/AP Photo]
Here is how things stand on Sunday, November 16:
Fighting
– Ukraine said it struck Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery, about 200 km southeast of Moscow, aiming to curtail the enemy’s ability to launch missile and bomb strikes. The Ukrainian military reported multiple explosions and a large fire at the site.
– Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces have taken control of the village of Yablukove in Zaporizhia region.
– Ukraine confirmed it withdrew from Novovasylivske in Zaporizhia to reposition to “more favourable defensive positions”.
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Nataliia Khodemchuk, the widow of the first Chornobyl disaster victim, was among several people killed in recent Russian strikes on Kyiv, calling it “a new tragedy caused once again by the Kremlin”.
– Russia’s RIA Novosti reported conditions are stable at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after an external power line was switched off as a precaution.
– Russia’s TASS reported Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on residential buildings in Volgograd, damaging facades and glazing.
– The Russian Defence Ministry said it shot down eight Ukrainian drones over Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk regions and Russian-occupied Crimea during a four-hour period.
Politics and diplomacy
– Russia and Ukraine agreed to advance a prisoner exchange that will release about 1,200 Ukrainians, following several days of talks overseen by Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates, reviving a process outlined in earlier Istanbul negotiations.
– President Zelenskyy pledged a “reboot” of state-owned energy companies and reforms to root out corruption amid an investigation into about $100m allegedly embezzled from power firms.
– Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a bill extending social assistance for Ukrainian refugees but warned it would be “the last time” until new solutions are found; roughly one million Ukrainians live in Poland and their legal status there is set to expire in March.
– Serbian officials said the United States will not lift sanctions on Serbian oil firm NIS unless its majority Russian ownership is changed, giving Serbia until February 13 to find a solution.
Military aid
– Zelenskyy called for additional air-defence resources after a wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least seven people and injured dozens, saying the attacks demonstrate the need for more assistance and “greater resolve” from allies.