Russian army shells town in Donetsk Oblast, injures 2 civilians

Some 43% of Ukrainians do not believe that the war with Russia will end in 2026, up 14% from December, according to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

Explosions were reported overnight Feb. 2 in Russia's Belgorod region, where officials said an alleged Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire in the city of Stary Oskol.

Russia launched a mass attack, targeting mines of DTEK, Ukraine's biggest private energy firm, the company said. One of the strikes hit a service bus in the town of Ternivka, which was transporting miners after their shift.

"Whether there are strikes or not, hundreds of buildings in Kyiv are still without heating. This means that the work being done in the city is not enough."

Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia are set to meet in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4-5 for a new round of talks as part of ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace deal, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 1.

Russian troops launched two attacks on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Feb. 1, injuring at least nine people, including a child, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains how martial law shapes daily life in Ukraine amid the country's harshest winter since the full-scale invasion.

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said a system would soon be introduced to ensure only authorized terminals can operate in Ukraine. Unverified terminals will be disabled.

Ukrainian forces downed 76 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Fourteen drones struck nine different locations, according to the statement.

The number includes 1,090 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported "a cascade shutdown" in Ukraine's power grid in the morning on Jan. 31.

Since the media outlets' last update in mid-January, the names of 4,536 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties.

Polish authorities temporarily closed the airspace along the northern part of Poland's border with Belarus overnight on Jan. 30-31 after unidentified objects — believed to be Belarusian smuggling balloons — were detected in the region.