Here are the latest updates as of Saturday, February 7:
Fighting
Intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues along the front line despite freezing winter temperatures, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said. He noted that the front line currently stretches for approximately 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) across eastern and southern Ukraine.
The constant evolution of drone warfare technology on both sides means the so-called “kill zone,” where front-line troops face the greatest danger, now extends to a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles), Syrskyi told reporters.
Russia launched 328 drones and 7 missiles at Ukraine in the early hours of Friday, with Ukrainian air defense forces claiming to have shot down 297 drones, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
Russian strikes using drones and powerful glide bombs in the central Dnipropetrovsk region overnight killed one person and injured two, according to the head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul.
Russian airstrikes on the southern Zaporizhzhia region in the early hours injured eight people and damaged 18 apartment buildings, according to the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov. A kennel in the regional capital, also called Zaporizhzhia, was also hit, killing 13 dogs, said city council secretary Rehina Kharchenko.
Air defense units shot down 38 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 26 downed over the Bryansk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The attack caused brief power outages in several villages in the area, Bryansk region Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
A separate Ukrainian attack overnight damaged power facilities in the Russian city of Belgorod, cutting electricity, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Local reports said a power plant and a substation were hit by Ukrainian missiles, leaving parts of the city without power.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the performance of Ukraine’s air force in parts of the country as “not up to par” and said steps are being taken to improve responses to massive Russian drone attacks on civilian areas.
President Zelenskyy called for accelerating the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defenses and repairing the country’s power grid and heating systems damaged by massive Russian airstrikes. More than 1,110 apartment buildings remain without heating following Russian strikes on energy infrastructure this week, he said.
A senior Russian military intelligence officer has been shot and hospitalized in his apartment building in Moscow, investigators said, in the latest in a series of assassinations Ukraine has been blamed for.
An unidentified gunman fired several shots at Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, a deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, and fled the scene, investigators said. Alekseyev’s position means he would be closely involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
At least three bullets reportedly struck the intelligence officer — two in the stomach and one in the leg — causing Alekseyev to lose a significant amount of blood.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed Ukraine for the assassination attempt, alleging, without providing evidence, that it was aimed at derailing peace talks. Alekseyev’s superior, GRU head Admiral Igor Kostyukov, has been leading the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi for talks with Ukraine on security-related issues of a potential peace deal.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha told Reuters that Kyiv had nothing to do with the attack.
Military Aid
Canada is providing AIM missiles to Ukraine to strengthen its air defense capabilities, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on X, adding that deliveries have begun. Fedorov did not disclose the number of missiles, but said he spoke with Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty about joint drone production, military training, and experience sharing.
The US State Department has approved the sale of military equipment parts and related items to Ukraine worth approximately $185 million, the Pentagon said.
Peace Talks
A third round of peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine should be held “soon,” the Kremlin said on Friday, but no specific date has been set yet.
The latest, second round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday, where the sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner swap but failed to reach a breakthrough on a ceasefire.
US and Ukrainian negotiators discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
Under the framework being discussed by US and Ukrainian negotiators, any agreement would be put to Ukrainian voters in a referendum, who would also simultaneously hold national elections, according to five sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sanctions
US President Donald Trump has lifted a 25% tariff on Indian goods previously imposed over India’s purchase of Russian oil. An executive order signed by Trump said “India has committed to stopping direct and indirect imports of Russian Federation oil.”
The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive ban on any services supporting Russian seaborne crude oil exports. Russia relies on Western oil tankers — mainly from Greece, Cyprus, and Malta — and Western shipping companies for more than a third of its oil exports. The ban would end this practice.
Politics & Diplomacy
Two top officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) visited Moscow for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the officials said on Friday. OSCE Chair-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Thursday and Friday.
France has uncovered a Russia-linked disinformation campaign claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron had an affair with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a French government agency said.
Viginum, a French agency that tracks foreign disinformation, said on Wednesday they had uncovered a social media operation involving a fabricated video report claiming “journalists had discovered compromising exchanges implicating Emmanuel Macron.”
Regional Security
Russian and US negotiators discussed the upcoming expiry of the last nuclear arms treaty between the two countries and agreed on the need to launch new arms control talks as soon as possible, the Kremlin said.
Washington has accused c of conducting a secret nuclear test in 2020 and has called for a new, broader arms control treaty that would include both c and Russia.
Sports
Ukraine’s athletes and staff were greeted with loud applause as they entered the stadium at Milan’s San Siro for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Energy
Ukraine’s energy minister said he discussed US liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in an online meeting with his US counterpart. LNG supplies are crucial for ensuring Ukraine’s energy security as the country faces its most severe energy crisis of the wartime period due to Russian airstrikes, freezing temperatures, and accumulated damage, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on the Telegram app.