This is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,444 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Ukraine launched three offensive operations in 2025, including one in the Dobropillia sector of Donetsk Oblast and two inside Russia's Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb. 6, according to RBC Ukraine. Syrskyi said the operations disrupted Russian plans to seize Donetsk Oblast and establish so-called "buffer zones" in border areas.

The changes will target units that are responsible for intercepting Russian unmanned aerial vehicles, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from February 9-15. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every week. Audio version of The Week Ahead is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. The Munich Security Conference will take place on 13–15 February. Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to attend, with Ukraine’s delegation also

"Today, I was watching Ukrainian (prisoners of war) who returned home from Russia, and these are the people who deserve the Peace Prize," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

Some of the meetings could have been linked to Yermak's role in a corruption case involving state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom, the biggest corruption investigation during Zelensky's presidency, the news outlet reported.

In 2016, Natalia Zabolotna, then director of the Kyiv-based art gallery Mystetskyi Arsenal, proposed naming Kyiv’s main airport, Boryspil International Airport, after the famous avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich. Her idea was far from eccentric. Across Europe, airports serve as sites of cultural self-definition, carrying the names of compatriots whose work reshaped global culture  — from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport to Granada’s Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén Airport. At th

The drone, a small commercially available model, crashed at the 1st Air Cavalry Battalion's base in the Lodz province after snagging a tree. No damage was recorded, the Polish military police reported.

The Russian soldiers — roughly the size of an entire platoon — were taken prisoner during the final clearing of the village of Zoloty Kolodiaz near Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine must fully align its agricultural standards with the European Union by the end of 2028, Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister Tasas Vysostky said on Feb. 6, as the country continues its push for membership.

The Kyiv Independent’s Jared Goyette speaks with a Canadian volunteer, Brittney Shki-Giizis, who left the Canadian military to fight in Ukraine. A former tank instructor, she explains why she chose to come to the front, how she learned Ukrainian to serve in a Ukrainian unit, and how the war’s shift toward drones led her to become an FPV (first-person view) drone pilot.

Editor’s note: This is issue 44 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from Jan. 13–Feb. 6, 2026. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. IMF benchmarks and soft commitments Ukraine launches re-attestation of Economic Security Bureau staff Ukraine has formally launched the second phase of reform of the Bureau of Economic Security (known by its Ukr

"The new package of sanctions covers energy, financial services, and trade," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

He has been rushed to hospital and the gunman fled the scene, according to reports.

The victim of the explosion, which took place early in the morning, was a 21-year-old local man, local police wrote after the incident.

Serhiy Deineko, who headed the State Border Guard from 2019 to Jan. 4, 2026, was charged last month in relation to a 204,000 euro bribery scheme.

Poland has been among the United States' closest allies in Europe since the 1990s.

"If you want to call and talk about something serious, then call. Putin will always pick up the phone," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"The enemy at the front doesn't have a problem, the enemy has a catastrophe," Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. would take "under consideration" additional measures targeting Russia's so-called shadow fleet.

Air raid alerts were issued shortly before 9 a.m. Kyiv time, with Ukraine's Air Force warning of Shahed-type drones and missiles in the country's airspace.

U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections in a Feb. 5 post on his Truth Social platform.

Blackouts and heating outages were reported in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast overnight on Feb. 6 following a reported missile attack that damaged key energy infrastructure, including a thermal power plant and an electrical substation.

When Jeff Bezos gutted the Washington Post, carrying out mass layoffs that included foreign bureaus, we watched it from Ukraine with dismay — and recognition of a pattern we know too well.   As a Ukrainian newspaper publishing in English, we understand how essential it is to keep the world informed about Ukraine and Russia’s war. That is why we were alarmed to see one of the world’s most influential newspapers pulling back from exactly that mission. That retreat plays directly into the hands o

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk became the first high-ranking official to ask the question on everyone’s mind on Feb. 4 — Was convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein working with Russia? He added that Poland would investigate possible links between Epstein and Russian intelligence services. The latest batch of Epstein-related documents, released on Jan. 30, mentions Russia 5,876 times and Russian President Vladimir Putin 1,055 times. The files show that Epstein cultivated relationships with

Editor's Note: The story was updated to include the most recent comment by U.S. President Donald Trump. "If it expires, it expires," U.S. President Donald Trump said in his interview with The New York Times when asked about his intentions to extend the New START treaty that officially ended on Feb. 5. The expiration would put an end to the last bilateral agreement limiting Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals — a combined 80% of the world's total. Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced his

"They discussed everything (during the negotiations). The delegation believes the information is very sensitive, so they want to come (to Ukraine) to share the details," President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv.

As casualties in Ukraine continue to mount, the Kremlin is seeking new sources of manpower while trying to avoid the political shock of full mobilization. Just days before the New Year, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed laws expanding military conscription. The changes allow year-round drafting and authorize the use of reservists to guard critical infrastructure. At the same time, a growing trend is drawing attention — the share of ethnic Russians among the dead is rising, as is the number

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Parts of east Kyiv could be without heating for at least two months, officials have warned. On Feb. 5, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko announced that repairs on the Darnytsia Thermo-Electric Station would take "no less than two months," even barring new strikes. The Darnytsia thermal power station supplied heating to 1,100 apartment buildings on the eastern side of Kyiv and came under attack on Feb. 3, resulting in what Klitschko te

The Kyiv Independent’s Oleksiy Sorokin speaks with Katarina Mathernova, the European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, after Russia's large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv during one of the coldest days of the winter, leaving parts of the city without heat and electricity.

The government has allowed companies that manufacture and repair transformer equipment to retain 100% of their draft-eligible employees, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Feb. 5.

Ukraine’s armed forces face mounting challenges along the southern and eastern fronts, where new technology, tactical shifts, force regeneration, and resource constraints are reshaping the battlefield. What are the key dynamics driving current operations, and how might they evolve in the months ahead? Join an exclusive KI Insights briefing with our defense analyst Mykolaj Suchy, who has recently returned from a trip to Ukraine’s southern and eastern frontlines. He will share firsthand observati

This is Tania Myronyshena reporting from Kyiv on day 1,442 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) agency has called on employees of Russia's defense industry to share information about missile research and production, warning of personal responsibility for their role in supporting the war against Ukraine. In a statement released on Feb. 5, HUR urged workers at Russian defense enterprises to establish direct, secure, and anonymous c