Here are the latest updates as of Monday, February 9:
Fighting
Russian forces launched a “massive” airstrike on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, killing at least one person, according to official sources.
Russian forces also attacked facilities belonging to Ukraine’s main oil and gas company, Naftogaz, in the eastern Poltava region overnight, causing damage. This was the 19th attack on the facility by Moscow, the company said in a statement, without specifying the extent of the damage.
Russian forces claimed to have taken the settlements of Hlushkivka in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region and Sydorivka in the Sumy region, according to Russian state media.
Russian energy infrastructure is a “legitimate target” for Ukrainian strikes because Russia’s energy sector finances its weapons production, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Over the past week, Russia launched more than 2,000 attack drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 116 missiles of various types at Ukrainian towns and villages, Zelenskyy also said.
Ceasefire Talks
Ukrainian and Russian leaders need to meet face-to-face to resolve the most difficult issues remaining in peace talks, and only US President Donald Trump has the power to broker a deal to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said.
Only a “handful” of points remain unfulfilled in the 20-point peace plan underpinning recent trilateral talks, but the “most sensitive and difficult” of them must be resolved at the leadership level, Sybiha said.
If a ceasefire is reached, the US has told Ukraine it is prepared to have Congress approve security guarantees and provide security “backstops” to support a peace deal, but will not deploy American troops on the ground in Ukraine, Sybiha added.
Other countries besides France and the UK have also confirmed they are willing to send troops to Ukraine as a deterrent if a deal is reached, Sybiha also said.
Politics
A Ukrainian-born Russian citizen suspected of shooting and injuring a senior Russian military intelligence officer, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, has been extradited to Moscow from Dubai, according to Russian security officials and investigators. Lt. Gen. Alekseyev survived the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, thanking the UAE for its assistance in capturing the man suspected of shooting Alekseyev, a Kremlin spokesperson said.
Zelenskyy announced on X that he would impose sanctions on some foreign manufacturers supplying components for Russian drones and missiles used against Ukraine. He said Moscow is still obtaining drone components from abroad through sanctions evasion.
Energy
Indian refiners, including Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, are avoiding Russian oil cargoes for April delivery and are expected to remain low-key for some time, Reuters reported, citing refining and trading sources. The move could help New Delhi reach a trade deal with Washington.