Key developments on Feb. 1-2: * Poland scrambles jets, puts air defense on high alert during Russian missile attack on Ukraine * Russia’s new naval base raises fears of Georgia’s involvement in Ukraine war, WSJ reports * Massive fire breaks out at Kharkiv warehouse after Russian drone attack * 15,000 Russian
On the night of Dec. 15, 2024, two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank in the Kerch Strait, a narrow maritime connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, off the coast of occupied Crimea. Both vessels were constructed for service on rivers, not on the open
The plan was similar to Ukraine's cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024.
Yaroslav Bazylevych told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 1 that the images were used without his permission.
Denys Zhurba's father was among those wounded in the attack.
In a post that included a video of combat footage, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said the area "remains one of the hottest" on the front.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte also insisted Ukraine was not losing the war against Russia.
At least four people were killed and 84 rescued after the attack on the evening of Feb. 1, which Ukraine's General Staff says was carried out by Russia using a targeted guided aerial bomb strike.
This number includes 1,320 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
The fire spread over an area of 2,000 meters at a civilian enterprise in the city's Slobidskyi district. No casualties have been reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's alleged bombing of a nursing home in Kursk Oblast, comparing the attack on civilians to Russian war crimes in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine.
Slovak officials had previously accused Ukraine's Georgian Legion of acting on orders from Kyiv's military intelligence to attempt a coup d'etat in Bratislava after anti-government protests swept the country.
Zelensky said that the first step for Ukraine is to hold a high-level meeting with Trump, before moving on to a format for peace talks that includes Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., and the EU.
"It will be a signal that it is not for Russia to decide who should be in NATO and who should not, but for the United States of America to decide. I think this is a great victory for Trump."
Ochamchire, more than 700 kilometers southeast of the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory, could provide Moscow with a naval base that remains largely beyond the range of Ukraine’s existing long-range strikes.
"At the time of the attack, dozens of local residents were inside the building preparing to evacuate," Ukraine's military said on Feb. 1, adding that nearly 95 people could be trapped under the rubble.
Russian independent news outlet Meduza used a photo of a Ukrainian man mourning his family killed in a Russian strike to bolster its European promo campaign — without his permission, he told the Kyiv Independent.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done."
Branded a terrorist by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s regime for taking part in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, Vasyl Verameichyk was paraded on state-controlled television in late January for a two-part interview titled "Confessions of a Militant." During the so-called interview, Verameichyk spoke of plans for an alleged incursion
Polish and other allied aircraft were quickly mobilized on Feb. 1 in response to a large-scale missile attack by Russia on western Ukraine, Poland's Armed Forces reported on X.
The restrictions were applied in seven oblasts to prevent the collapse of the energy system, according to Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo.
The Poltava Oblast National Police detained a man who allegedly shot a draft officer, stole his weapon, and escaped with another man overnight on Jan. 31.
"Last night, Russia attacked our cities using various types of weapons: missiles, attack drones, and aerial bombs. Another terrorist crime," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram in response to the attacks.
The attack destroyed all five floors of one of the building's sections, caused a fire, and damaged neighboring buildings. Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the site.
This number includes 1,430 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
AI company Safe Pro Group has signed a multi-year agreement with Ukrainian agricultural company Nibulon to deploy AI-powered drones for detecting landmines in farmland, BusinessWire reported on Jan. 31.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Gitanas Nauseda warned that a peace settlement without proper deterrents would allow Russia to consolidate its forces and prepare for further military action.
"We will be speaking, and I think we will perhaps do something that’ll be significant," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Jan. 31. "We want to end that war. That war would not have started if I was president."
Ukrainian journalist and director Mstyslav Chernov won the Best Documentary Direction award at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 31 for his "2,000 Meters to Andriivka" film in the World Cinema category.
Key developments on Jan. 31: * North Korean troops not seen for 3 weeks in parts of Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s Special Forces say * Ukraine deploys long-range drone capable of 2,000 km strike, military says * Ukrainian drones strike "one of 10 largest oil refineries in Russia," military says * Russian missiles
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent isn’t a recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and its funding wasn’t affected by the aid freeze. With the stroke of a pen, U.S. President Donald Trump last week put a freeze on projects that have helped Ukraine become freer and
Nearly three years into the war, Ukrainians have grown used to bracing for brutal winters with electricity blackouts and heating cuts from Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure. This winter was predicted to be one of the toughest ones of the war yet. In a worst-case scenario, blackouts
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