Russia continued its deadly air strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing at least three people in the Kharkiv region overnight, local officials said, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for the next stop on his tour of European capitals to shore up support.
On November 17, Ukraine's Emergency Service reported three people had been killed and at least 13 injured, including four children, in a Russian strike on the eastern city of Balakliya, an important railroad junction in the Kharkiv region.
Vitaliy Karabanov, head of Balakliya's military administration, said the attack struck the city center and injured at least three children. Nine people were hospitalized, while emergency crews were at the site, he added.
The details could not be independently confirmed, and it was not immediately clear what specific sites were hit. Balakliya was occupied by Russian forces early after Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion but was retaken by Ukraine months later.
Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities as the winter months approach, leading to fears of power shortages amid the likely freezing weather. Moscow has also regularly struck Ukrainian civilian areas, although it denies it targets such sites.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has begun a trek to key European capitals as he looks to shore up Ukraine's energy supplies and weapons deliveries as it struggles to fend off Russian air and ground offensives.
Heading For France, Then Spain
Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to Paris on November 17 to meet with French President -- and strong Ukraine backer -- Emmanuel Macron, with the first meeting set to take place at the Villacoublay Air Base outside the capital.
Zelenskyy has said that "a major deal with France" is in the works, but it is not clear if a major announcement will ensue on this trip.
The Ukrainian leader has pleaded with Western partners for additional long-range missiles to help knock out missile-launching sites deep inside Russia. France previously has pledged to send Aster medium-range missiles for Ukraine's defense.
Zelenskyy is then scheduled to travel to Spain on November 18.
In a bid to stem the energy crisis brought on by Russian missile strikes, Zelenskyy on November 16 traveled to Athens, where he signed a deal to import US-supplied liquefied natural gas from next month through March 2026.
The action came as Zelenskyy vowed to overhaul the country’s scandal-ridden energy sector as he looks to stem outrage following accusations of wide-spread corruption.
On November 10, Ukraine's anti-corruption watchdog 10 announced a "large-scale operation" alleging tens of millions of dollars of graft in the energy sector.
Zelenskyy on November 16 said the leadership of at least three state-run energy companies would be sacked and quickly replaced and that other changes were in the works.
It remains to be seen whether the changes will be sufficient to ease pressure on Zelenskyy and satisfy Kyiv's Western allies, who have urged the Ukrainian leader to do more to stem endemic corruption as the country continues to battle against Russia's full-scale invasion.
