[Updated at 11:06]: President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the attack, writing on Telegram:
“This night, Russia attacked our cities using various types of weapons: missiles, strike drones, aerial bombs. Another terrorist crime.”
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He also expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the attacks in the Poltava, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions, adding, “As of now, six people are known to have been injured. In Kharkiv, one person was killed as a result of a strike drone attack. Two people were killed in this Russian attack in the Sumy region.”
Zelensky reported additional damage in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky, and Kyiv regions. He said that each attack underscores Ukraine’s urgent need for more air defense systems to counter “Russian terror.”
“Every air defense system, every anti-missile is a lifesaver,” Zelensky said, urging Ukraine’s partners to fulfill commitments and increase pressure on Russia.
On Feb. 1, Russian forces launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine, striking residential areas and infrastructure in the Poltava, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukrainian officials reported.
The assault began on the evening of Jan. 31 with drone attacks, followed by missile strikes in the morning. At approximately 5:30 a.m., an air alert was declared in eastern Ukraine due to the threat of ballistic missiles, later expanding nationwide by 7:00 a.m. The air alarm lasted until 9:12 a.m.
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Deadly strike on Poltava
At 7:07 a.m., explosions were reported in Poltava, with the regional military administration confirming damage to energy infrastructure in the Myrhorod district, leaving 164 households and one business without power.
A second explosion occurred at 7:44 a.m., hitting a residential building. According to the State Emergency Service, a Russian missile struck a five-story apartment building, destroying an entire entrance from the first to the fifth floor and igniting a fire.
Three people were killed, including a child, and ten others were injured. Emergency services rescued 21 people while neighboring buildings and 12 cars were also damaged.
Kharkiv under fire
Russian forces also targeted Kharkiv and surrounding areas with missiles. At 7:30 a.m., regional governor Oleh Synehubov confirmed multiple strikes in the Kharkivsky and Berestynsky districts.
In Kharkiv’s Kholodnohirsky district, missiles hit a residential area, causing a fire, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Later, Synehubov reported that a woman in her 60s was killed. By 8:40 a.m., five people were reported injured.
Zaporizhzhia faces a drone barrage
Shortly after midnight on Feb. 1, the Russian army launched 18 drones at Zaporizhzhia in one of the largest attacks on the city, according to local authorities and the State Emergency Service.
The strikes ignited fires across multiple districts, damaging an infrastructure facility, a multi-story building, and several private homes. Educational institutions, cars, and garages were also affected.
A 57-year-old man was injured but declined hospitalization.
A Russian missile strike hit central Odesa on the evening of Jan. 31, injuring at least seven people, including two women and a child, and damaging historic buildings, officials said.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper stated that all the wounded were in “moderate” condition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as “deliberate,” adding that Norwegian diplomats were near the blast site.
Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov confirmed significant damage in the UNESCO-protected area. Several museums, including the Literary, Historical, Archaeological, and Western and Eastern Art Museums, as well as the Philharmonic, sustained broken windows and facade damage.
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