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 troops 'neutralized' in Pokrovsk direction in January alone, Syrskyi says
- 5 people including 2 children injured in Kherson after Russia targets minibus with drone, governor says
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.
"Attention, due to the attack of the Russian Federation performing strikes on facilities located in the west of Ukraine, among others, the operation of Polish and allied aviation in our airspace has begun,” the statement said.
All available forces and means were activated during the attack, the command said, adding that it was constantly monitoring the situation.
In accordance with procedures, fighter jets were dispatched, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance assets were put on high alert, the Polish military said.
Russia launched a combined attack of 165 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles at Ukraine overnight and in the morning on Feb. 1, Ukraine's Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defense intercepted 56 Russian UAVs, the Air Force said.
At least seven people were killed and 14 injured in a residential building strike in Poltava. Civilian enterprises and infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky, and Kyiv oblasts were damaged, according to the report.
Poland has scrambled jets amid Russian attacks on Ukraine several times over the past year.
Natalia Yermak
Russia's new naval base raises fears of Georgia's involvement in Ukraine war, WSJ reports
Russia is building a new naval base in Ochamchire, Abkhazia, a move that raises fears Georgia could be drawn into the war in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports.
The base is part of Moscow’s strategy to safeguard its naval forces after suffering heavy losses in the Black Sea. Since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has lost or sustained damage to roughly a third of its fleet in the region.
Satellite images obtained by the outlet show continued upgrades at the Ochamchira port, including expanded access points to fit larger vessels. Though relatively small, experts say the facility could host ships equipped with cruise missiles, bolstering Russia’s military presence in the Black Sea.
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.
Russia has occupied Abkhazia after a war with Tbilisi in 2008, backing local breakaway leadership. The region is internationally recognized as Georgia's sovereign soil.
The Wall Street Journal reports that if Ukraine were to target Russian warships there, Georgia could find itself pulled into the war.
Beyond military risks, the base threatens a key trade route between Asia and Europe. Before Russia’s invasion, more than 85% of land-based trade between China and Europe moved through Russian territory. Sanctions have disrupted that route, shifting attention to the Middle Corridor, which runs through Georgia.
The World Bank estimates this corridor could handle 11 million tonnes of cargo annually by 2030, up from less than 3 million tonnes in 2023.
Sonya Bandouil
Massive fire breaks out at Kharkiv warehouse after Russian drone attack
A large-scale fire broke out at a warehouse in Kharkiv after a Russian drone struck a civilian enterprise late at night on Feb. 1, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.
Russia launched a drone attack against the city's Slobidskyi district, causing a massive fire in a production and warehouse facility. The fire spread over an area of 2,000 meters, the State Emergency Service said.
Firefighters contained the blaze at 1:27 a.m. local time on Feb. 2.
The warehouse was part of a civilian enterprise, according to authorities. No casualties have been reported.
Located less than 30 kilometers from the Russian border, the northeastern city of Kharkiv has suffered relentless aerial attacks over the past two years of Russia's full-scale war.
Moscow often targets densely populated neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure with missiles, drones, and glide bombs.
Sonya Bandouil
15,000 Russian troops 'neutralized' in Pokrovsk direction in January alone, Syrskyi says
Some 15,000 Russian soldiers were "neutralized" by Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk direction in Donetsk Oblast during January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb. 2.
In a post on Facebook that included a video of combat footage, Syrskyi said the area "remains one of the hottest" on the front, adding Ukrainian forces were "continuously inflicting losses on the occupiers."
"In January of this year alone, our soldiers neutralized more than 15,000 invaders here, of which about 7,000 were killed," he added.
0:00/0:541×The video released by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Feb. 2 of combat in the Pokrovsk sector (Facebook)
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the figures.
A report from the monitoring group DeepState, published on Jan. 28 said that overall across the front lines, the intensity of Russian assaults was declining, but remains high.
It added that Russian forces have concentrated 44% of their attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, a crucial logistics hub for Ukrainian troops in Donetsk Oblast.
Russian forces were deploying small groups in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops in the sector, Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, said on Jan. 27.
The peak intensity of Russian offensive efforts across the front lines was recorded in the second half of December, following a surge in attacks that began in late November.
According to data published by Ukraine's Armed Forces, 840,260 of Moscow's troops have been injured or killed since 2022.
Russian losses in Ukraine are helping fuel a demographic timebomb that could see the country’s population reduced by half by the end of the century, experts told the Kyiv Independent earlier this month..
"The impact on Russian society is devastating," said Harley Balzer, emeritus professor of government and international affairs at Georgetown University.
"From Russia's perspective, (winning the war in Ukraine) is the smaller problem. The bigger issue is, is it going to be a viable country afterward regardless?"
The Kyiv Independent news desk
5 people including 2 children injured in Kherson after Russia targets minibus with drone, governor says
Five people, among them two children, were injured after Russia targeted a minibus with a drone, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Feb. 2.
A 12 year-old boy and a 13 year-old girl, along with three adult women, have been diagnosed with concussions after the attack.
"All the victims have been taken to medical facilities, where doctors are providing them with the necessary assistance," Prokudin wrote.
Kherson Oblast remains under partial Russian occupation on the left bank of the Dnipro River. The region, including the city of Kherson, is frequently targeted by Russian forces, with regular attacks resulting in civilian casualties.
Drone attacks targeting civilians in the southern city of Kherson have become so frequent that locals speaking to the Kyiv Independent last year described the violent campaign as a "human safari."
Under international law, the intentional targeting of civilians who are not actively engaged in hostilities during wartime constitutes a war crime.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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