What 24 November 2022 showed about Ukraine's air war

What did the Russian air campaign look like on 24 November 2022, and how were Ukraine's partners responding? The picture, assembled from reports of that day and the days just before it, was one of pressure on civilians and infrastructure, matched by new offers of air-defence support.

Kherson under bombardment

On 24 November 2022, Russian Armed Forces bombarded Kherson, killing at least 15 people and injuring 35 others, according to reports from the Southern Ukraine campaign. The toll showed that civilian areas in the south were being hit alongside the nationwide missile strikes.

A day earlier: strikes and blackouts

The previous day, 23 November 2022, brought another wave of missile strikes. At least six civilians were killed, including three in an apartment block in Vyshhorod, Kyiv Oblast, where 15 other people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 21 of the 31 missiles aimed at Kyiv had been intercepted before reaching their targets.

The effects on the power supply reached well beyond the capital. Widespread blackouts were reported in Western Ukraine as cruise missiles were launched, and Lviv was without power. Moldova reported massive power outages of its own, even though no missiles had hit the country directly.

Political and military responses

Also on 23 November 2022, the European Parliament designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. It cited Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, including critical infrastructure, hospitals, schools and bomb shelters.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that the United Kingdom would send three Sea King helicopters to the Ukrainian Air Force as part of a new £50 million support package.

Air defence near the Ukrainian border had been on the agenda since 22 November 2022, when Germany said it would deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile systems on the Poland–Ukraine border to protect Polish airspace. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said he had accepted the proposal.

The Polish context

The offer followed the incident of 15 November 2022, when a missile struck the Polish village of Przewodów near the Ukrainian border, killing two people. Ukraine initially accused Russia, while the United States said the missile was likely an air-defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. Later, in September 2023, the Polish Prosecutor's Office stated that the blast was caused by an out-of-control Ukrainian S-300 air-defence missile.

What the sequence indicated

Taken together, the reports from 22 to 24 November 2022 show three linked developments: continuing Russian attacks on cities and power networks, with effects felt in neighbouring Moldova; a formal political condemnation from the European Parliament; and practical commitments of equipment from the United Kingdom and Germany. Kyiv's interception figures for 23 November 2022 showed air defences stopping most missiles aimed at the capital, yet the casualties in Vyshhorod and Kherson showed that attacks still got through.