Ukraine war latest: Russian forces trying to 'bypass and infiltrate' Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, military says
This is Asami Terajima reporting from a very cold Kyiv on day 1,440 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
Russian troops are trying to "bypass and infiltrate" the destroyed town of Vovchansk in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, and the situation is "frankly difficult," Viktor Tregubov, a spokesman for Ukraine's Joint Forces in charge of the area, said on Feb. 2.
Speaking on national TV, Tregubov said Russian troops are pressing on Ukrainian positions on the outskirts of Vovchansk.
"The city is completely destroyed, there is no infrastructure to serve as a barrier," Tregubov said, as cited by Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
"And the Russians have been pressing there for a very long time, and the distance to the border is minimal."
Vovchansk — just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border — endured Russian occupation until the 2022 autumn Ukrainian counter-offensive liberated the town, only to face heavy fighting again after Russia began a new push in May 2024, forcing many residents to flee their homes.
About 80 buildings remain without heating in Kyiv, mayor says
Last updated 8:27 p.m. Kyiv time
About 80 buildings remain without heating following a Jan. 31 mass outage in Ukraine's energy grid, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported in the evening on Feb. 2.
Klitschko said over 3,400 buildings were initially left without heating after the mass outage, which authorities said was caused by technical malfunctions that led to the shutdown of two high-voltage power lines amid freezing temperatures. Authorities have remained vague about the exact reason for the accident.
Russia has intensified its energy blitz in January, targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure with barrages of missiles and drones, in an attempt to lower Ukrainians' morale amid freezing temperatures. Earlier in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 200 buildings in Kyiv remained without heating.
"Utility and energy workers are working around the clock to connect buildings to the heat supply," Klitschko said in his Telegram post.
Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kills 1, injures 2, governor says
Last updated 8:15 p.m. Kyiv time
One person was killed, and two others were wounded by Russian attacks on central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported on Feb. 2.
Russia attacked an area east of Dnipro city with guided aerial bombs (KAB) and drones, killing a 67-year-old man, according to Hanzha.
Two others were wounded in another Russian attack on Nikopol and its neighboring towns, located across the Dnipro River from the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. A 52-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman were injured in the attack that involved first-person view (FPV) drones and artillery, Hanzha said.
Russia targets Dnipropetrovsk miners 2nd day in a row after deadly bus attack
Updated 5:40 p.m. Kyiv time
Russia struck a coal mine operated by Ukraine's biggest private energy firm, DTEK, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the company said on Feb. 2.
The Feb. 2 attack damaged administrative buildings at the facility. No casualties were reported in the strike, according to the statement.
The news follows a deadly Russian drone attack on a bus carrying miners, which killed at least 12 people and injured 16 others on Feb. 1. in the town of Ternivka.
The attack represents the largest single loss for DTEK since the start of the full-scale war, CEO Maksym Timchenko said.
Feb. 2 was declared a day of mourning in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in memory of the miners killed in the strike.
Ukraine implementing Starlink registration to counter Russian use of US-produced terminals
Updated 4:52 p.m. Kyiv time
The Ukrainian government approved a resolution on Feb. 2 mandating the registration of Starlink terminals to prevent their use by Russian forces, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced.
The move follows reports of Russia using Starlink-equipped drones, which are particularly difficult to intercept due to their low-altitude flight and resistance to electronic warfare.
Under the resolution, Ukraine will introduce a so-called "whitelist" for Starlink terminals, with all unverified devices to be disconnected. The system will be implemented in cooperation with SpaceX, the manufacturer of Starlink terminals.
Fedorov said these measures are currently the only technical solution to counter the use of the technology by Russian forces.
Fedorov's statement came days after Ukraine's Defense Ministry reached out to SpaceX, urging the company to prevent Russian drones from using Starlink, as the satellite internet system could help them to operate further over Ukraine.
The company responded swiftly, with U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk writing on Feb. 1 that SpaceX's efforts to halt "unauthorized" Russian use of Starlink seemed to have worked.
SpaceX's initial steps to stop Russia from using Starlink to control attack drones over Ukraine are already delivering "real results," Fedorov said on Feb. 1.
Ukraine's military reports 'series of effective strikes' on Russian command posts
Updated 4:50 p.m. Kyiv time
Ukraine's General Staff reported on Feb. 2 "a series of effective strikes" on Russian command posts in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Overnight Ukrainian drone strikes hit two Russian command posts, one regimental and another divisional level, in the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, as well as an ammunition depot, according to the General Staff.
In another hot spot of the war, down in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian drone strikes hit Russia's drone command posts, the General Staff also claimed.
"The Defense Forces are systematically undermining the offensive potential of the Russian occupiers in order to stop Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine," the General Staff wrote in its Telegram post.
More than 200 buildings in Kyiv without heating, Zelensky says
Updated 3:30 p.m. Kyiv time
More than 200 buildings in Kyiv remain without heating as temperatures plunge, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 2.
Zelensky said that the lack of heating in over 200 buildings is mostly due to the Jan. 31 outage, which authorities said was caused by technical malfunctions amid freezing temperatures.
Russia has scaled up its energy blitz in January, targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure with barrages of missiles and drones in an attempt to lower Ukrainians' morale as they try to survive in cold temperatures, often without electricity, heating, or water.
'Instead of 6 missiles, there are only 2' — Ukraine's Air Force reveals dire air defense shortage
Updated 3:20 p.m. Kyiv time
A shortage of air defense missiles has left some Ukrainian air defense systems empty at times amid the threat of further Russian attacks, Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force's communications department, said in an interview with RBC Ukraine published on Feb. 2.
With the onset of winter, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in an effort to plunge the country into a nationwide blackout. Meanwhile, Ukraine's air defense forces lack sufficient resources to intercept all Russian missiles and drones.
Ihnat said that Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have repeatedly stressed the shortage of missiles for air defense systems, noting that some of them are depleted and not ready to repel Russian attacks.
"Indeed, before one such attack, we were provided with the necessary means a day in advance," Ihnat said. "Ukrainian forces repelled that massive strike quite successfully, thanks to missiles for F-16s, NASAMS, IRIS-T, and Patriot."
"There were moments when there was a serious shortage of these missiles. I won't reveal any secrets. For example, there is a NASAMS system, but instead of six missiles in the launcher, there are only two."
At least 14 killed, 38 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least 14 people have been killed and 38 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on Feb. 2.
The Air Force said that Russian forces had attacked Ukraine with a ballistic missile and 171 drones, of which around 100 were Shahed-type drones. It reported downing 157 drones in the east, south, and north of the country.
In central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a Russian drone hit a bus carrying miners after their shifts near the town of Pavlohrad, killing at least 12 and injuring 16 others on Feb. 1, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha and DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy firm, reported.
Russian attacks in the southwestern part of the region, in Nikopol and other towns nearby, wounded a 72-year-old man, Hanzha said on Feb. 1.
DTEK reported on Feb. 2 that Russia carried out another attack on its coal mining company's facility in the region, damaging its administrative buildings. No casualties were reported.
In eastern Donetsk Oblast, regional governor Vadym Filashkin reported that two people were killed and four others were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day.
In northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that a 20-year-old and a 52-year-old woman were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and its surrounding region, 12 people were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported.
A Russian drone attack targeted yet another Ukrainian Railways infrastructure, targeting a diesel locomotive, used to generate electricity from diesel fuel, in Zaporizhzhia, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine reported on Feb. 2.
In southern Kherson Oblast, three people were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,241,530 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,241,530 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 29.
The number includes 850 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,627 tanks, 23,981 armored fighting vehicles, 76,585 vehicles and fuel tanks, 36,802 artillery systems, 1,633 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,291 air defense systems, 435 airplanes, 347 helicopters, 121,217 drones, 28 ships and boats, and two submarines.
