Tuesday, February 4
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A boy plays on a swingset on a playground near a damaged apartment building on Feb. 3, 2025 in Poltava. A Russian missile recently struck the building, killing 14 people, including three children. (Oksana Ivanova/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC”/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukrainian drones strike 2 major energy facilities in Russia, Kyiv confirms. The drones, operated by the SBU and the Special Operations Forces, targeted the flare farm, two primary processing units, and two technological units at the Volgograd oil refinery, an SBU source said.
Pro-Russian paramilitary leader dies in hospital after Moscow explosion. Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Russian collaborator from Donetsk Oblast wanted by Ukraine, died in the hospital after being injured in an explosion in an elite residential complex in Moscow on Feb. 3, the state news agency TASS reported, citing healthcare officials.
‘We need the corps system’ — Zelensky approves plan to restructure army. Ukraine’s Armed Forces are transitioning to a new organizational structure intended to modernize the army, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 3.
Ukraine’s laser technologies ‘already hit certain objects,’ commander says. Ukraine is already using laser technologies to hit Russian targets, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published on Feb. 3.
Unmanned Systems Forces have carried out over 220 operations deep into Russia since its establishment, commander says. “Our units have conducted over 220 operations to engage the enemy on Russian territory. More than 3,500 weapons have been launched so far,” Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi said.
Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.
Key Russian, North Korean officers killed in Ukraine’s strike on Kursk Oblast command post, Zelensky says. “It was our military target, a fair one. There was a missile attack from our side and various types of weapons; a complex attack was launched against them,” President Zelensky told the Associated Press on Feb. 2.
Ukraine identifies soldier in severed head photo, documents Russian war crime. The National Police will conduct investigations to clarify the circumstances of the incident, locate the body, and gather further details.
Ukraine foils Russian-backed plot to blow up Rivne Oblast railway, SBU says. The suspect was detained near the tracks while placing explosives, which were intended to be detonated remotely, the SBU said.
Syrskyi condemns recent violence against draft officers, calls for investigation. “In a short time, unfortunately, three shameful acts of violence occurred in different regions, in which servicemen were injured,” Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Russia sees Saudi Arabia, UAE as possible venues for Trump-Putin meeting**, Reuters reports. **Senior Russian officials have allegedly visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent weeks, according to Reuters.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Kursk operation, long-range strikes into Russia — Syrskyi outlines Ukraine’s priorities
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Feb. 3 named Ukraine’s operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and strikes against military facilities deep inside Russian territory as Kyiv’s key battlefield priorities.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
‘We are where we’re needed:’ The local entrepreneurs, businesses who stay in front-line Donetsk Oblast
Those who have stayed, keeping shops open and community centers alive, are vital to maintaining a semblance of normal life amid the devastation, as well as providing goods and services for soldiers in the area.
Photo: Yelyzaveta Sekretarenko/The Kyiv Independent
Ukraine reforms school curriculum to protect next generation from Russia
In a small town in Kyiv Oblast, 10th grader Alina Marynenko just beat her entire class to be the most accurate shooter on an AK-47 simulator. “Fourteen out of fifteen! I set a record! We beat the boys!” Marynenko yells.
Photo: Lisa Bukreyeva/The Kyiv Independent
Trump seeks Ukrainian rare earths in exchange for aid, Kyiv keen to agree
“We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Feb. 3.
Photo: Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Human cost of war
24-year-old Ukrainian pilot killed in action. “He was only 24, but he was a competent and experienced warrior who mercilessly beat the (Russian forces) on all their approaches and front lines,” the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade said.
Ukrainian commander involved in liberation of Kharkiv Oblast killed in combat. Anton Spitsyn was one of the co-founders of the unit, called the Peaky Blinders after the British crime drama series of the same name.
UN monitors see ‘alarming rise’ in executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russia. According to Danielle Bell, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Russian public figures have explicitly called for the inhumane treatment and execution of Ukrainian POWs.
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 2, injure 21 over previous day. Russia launched 71 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones overnight, the Air Force said.
General Staff: Russia has lost 841,660 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,300 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Opinions and insights
Ukraine needs more than a leadership shake-up to fight financial crime
“Ukraine’s financial system faces deeper challenges: an underutilized public-private partnership model, a gaping regulatory void in the virtual asset space, and a lack of clarity and capacity in financial investigations. Tackling these issues demands urgent, structural reforms — not just new faces at the top,” write Oksana Ihnatenko and Kinga Redlowska from the Center for Financial Integrity (CFI).
Photo: Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images
International response
UK to provide more military aid to Ukraine this year than ever before, Starmer says. “We must do all that we can to support Ukraine’s defense,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Feb. 3. Starmer pledged to ramp up pressure on Russia in order to “crush Putin’s war machine.”
US briefly paused weapons to Kyiv in first days of Trump term, sources tell Reuters. The Trump administration was initially inclined to stop all aid to Ukraine, but arms deliveries resumed over the weekend following internal debate, sources claimed.
‘It’s beyond repair’ — Musk aims to shut down USAID, claims Trump’s backing. “With regards to the USAID stuff, I went over it with (the president) in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” Elon Musk said during a conversation on X Spaces.
Rubio takes control of USAID amid Musk’s threats to shut down agency. Trump has named U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acting USAID administrator “as an interim step toward gaining control and better understanding over the agency’s activity.”
Biden admin’s escalation fears, ‘chaotic’ organization delayed aid to Ukraine, Reuters reports. Further complicating deliveries was a chaotic weapons-tracking system in which different branches of the U.S. military reportedly used varying definitions of “delivered,” creating confusion over how much aid reached Ukraine.
Raiffeisen Bank cooperates with companies supplying Russian army, Bloomberg reports. In 2023, the Russian branch of Raiffeisen Bank earned over $1 billion in the first three quarters, which accounted for about 50% of the group’s total profit. The bank also paid 277 million euros ($284 million) in taxes to Russia over the same period, Bloomberg reported.
‘Let’s leave judgment to historians’ — Orban evades question of whether he considers Russia responsible for war. “Let’s leave the judgment to the historians. I am a politician, and we have an EU decision. It obliges me to speak of ‘Russian aggression,’” Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Neue Zurcher Zeitung.
Romanian presidential candidate says his claims on Ukraine’s partition are ‘theoretical.’ “I was talking about a very simple thing, by the way. We have to learn from our historical experience. The world is changing,” Romanian far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu said.
In other news
Ukrainian bakery Lviv Croissants opens first French location in Cannes. Ukrainian cafe chain Lviv Croissants opened its first restaurant in Cannes, France, making it the fifth country outside of Ukraine where it now operates, the company said in a press release on Feb. 3.
Ukraine announces privatization auction of country’s largest electromagnetic switch manufacturer. The auction, which is for a 100% stake in the plant, will be held on Feb. 4. Its starting price is Hr 234.4 million ($5.6 million), which includes debts for the last six months.
Ukrainian citizen beaten to death in Bratislava, media reports. Local law enforcement agencies have not ruled out the possibility that the man was beaten by police and private security guards. The Ukrainian Embassy has reached out to the Slovak authorities.
Are you a regular reader of Ukraine Daily? Consider taking our survey to help us improve this newsletter. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
This newsletter is open for sponsorship. Boost your brand’s visibility by reaching thousands of engaged subscribers. Contact partnerships@kyivindependent.com for more details.
Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Tymur Zadorozhnyy, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kateryna Denisova, Kateryna Hodunova, Abbey Fenbert, and Olena Goncharova.
If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to react!