Friday, February 7
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Servicemembers of the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade of Ukraine’s Land Forces camouflage a tank in Kharkiv Oblast on Feb. 6, 2025. (Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine strikes Russian drone launch site in Krasnodar Krai, military claims. “Confirmed hit and explosions in the target area,” the General Staff reported.
Ukraine launches new offensive in Kursk Oblast, Russian media claims, Kyiv yet to confirm. According to Russian military bloggers, Ukrainian forces attacked southeast of Sudzha, advancing toward the settlements of Fanaseevka and Ulanok.
909 Russian troops captured, 16,000 killed in Kursk Oblast in six months, Ukraine says. The operation in Kursk Oblast may become an “important part” of future negotiations to end Russia’s war, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Ukraine regaining nuclear weapons ‘not going to happen,’ Trump’s envoy Kellogg says. “The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none,” Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said.
US won’t present plan to end Russia’s war at Munich Security Conference, Kellogg says. Washington will not present a plan to end Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine during the Munich Security Conference next week, Kellogg said on Feb. 6.
Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.
Trump has no official plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Zelensky says. “There is no official plan yet. What is in certain publications… I am sure that this is not President Trump’s official plan,” President Zelensky said on Feb. 6.
More Russian soldiers died near Pokrovsk in January than in entire Second Chechen War, military says. “The Second Chechen War for the Russians for the entire period — 6,000 dead,” military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said. “That is, under Pokrovsk alone in January the Russians have more dead than in the entire Second Chechen War.”
UK to host Ramstein-format meeting next week, replacing US. London will host the next Ramstein-format Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) summit in Brussels on Feb. 12, rather than the U.S., the U.K. Joint Delegation to NATO confirmed on Feb. 6.
North Korean missiles show improved accuracy in Russian attacks on Ukraine, Reuters reports. Analysts believe North Korea is using the battlefield as a testing ground for its missile technology, enhancing its weapons for future use.
Russia to recruit 210,000 personnel for drone forces by 2030, Syrskyi says. According to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, 66% of Russian equipment destroyed in January resulted from various types of Ukrainian attack drones.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: First French Mirage fighter jets arrive in Ukraine
The first French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets pledged to Kyiv have arrived in Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said. “With Ukrainian pilots trained for several months in France on board, they will now participate in defending Ukraine’s sky.”
Photo: Annabelle Chih/Getty Images
French Mirage fighter jets — here’s what they can do
Equipped with a variety of air-to-air missiles and weapons, such as Mica missiles with a range of up to 60 kilometers or older Magic short-range missiles, the Mirage 2000-5 can be configured to meet diverse mission requirements.
Photo: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images
Paris involved in rare earths research in Ukraine, US not a competitor, French trade chief says
French point man for foreign trade, Laurent Saint-Martin, spoke with the Kyiv Independent about rebuilding Ukraine, extraction of rare earth minerals in the country, and a potential trade war between Kyiv’s closest allies.
Photo: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
‘Donbas is fiction’ — Kateryna Zarembo’s book dismantles Russian myths about Ukraine’s east
For some, Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts evoke images of coal mines, industrial sprawl, and Russian-speaking culture. Yet to accept this is to ignore a Ukrainian heritage that Russia has spent centuries attempting to erase.
Photo: Alice Martins/Washington Post/Getty Images
Human cost of war
1 killed, 24 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over previous day. Russia launched 77 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones overnight, the Air Force reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 845,310 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,240 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Why does Trump want Ukraine’s ‘rare earths’?
International response
‘Russian media lies’ — Ben Stiller denies claims about USAID funding his Ukraine trip, reposted by Musk. Elon Musk reposted a fabricated story on X suggesting that USAID financed Western celebrities’ visits to Ukraine.
Trump to lay off nearly all USAID staff worldwide, NYT reports. The cuts will reduce the agency from 10,000 staff around the world to just 290, three sources with knowledge of the layoffs said.
‘Healthy’ democracies can hold elections in wartime, Kellogg says. “You’re gonna reach a point where they’re gonna have to have elections … That doesn’t mean Zelensky should leave,” Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
Kyiv open to talks with South Korea on captured North Korean soldiers, ambassador says. Kyiv is open to negotiating with South Korea over the possible transfer of captured North Korean soldiers, Ukrainian Ambassador to Seoul Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with The Korea Times published on Feb. 5.
2 Russian oligarchs sell Alfa-Bank stakes hoping to escape EU sanctions, FT reports. According to documents obtained by the FT, Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven sold their stakes for about Rbs 240 billion ($2.5 billion).
In other news
Russia’s space chief Borisov dismissed amid program failures. Before leading Roscosmos, Yury Borisov played a key role in Russia’s military-industrial sector, overseeing the state rearmament program since 2011.
Kyivstar secures approval to acquire Uklon in multimillion-dollar deal. The Ukrainian Anti-Monopoly Committee (AMCU) approved Kyivstar’s acquisition of taxi service Uklon on Feb. 6, Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov announced at an American Chamber of Commerce event in Ukraine.
Russian singer who spoke out against war in Ukraine dies after allegedly falling from window during police raid. Singer Vadim Stroykin reportedly fell from the window of his 10th-floor apartment while officers were investigating an alleged donation to Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Kyiv Independent raises over $66,200 to support Ukrainian newsrooms hit by US aid freeze. A GoFundMe campaign launched on Jan. 30 quickly surpassed its initial goal of 40,000 pounds ($50,000) within days. Now closed, the campaign’s funds are being distributed to the impacted media outlets.
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 Tymur Zadorozhnyy, Chris York, Yana Prots, Liliane Bivings, Teah Pelechaty, Kateryna Denisova, Abbey Fenbert, and Sonya Bandouil.
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!