These are important developments since day 1,444 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Published February 7, 2026
Here’s what happened on Saturday, February 7th.
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Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Shirsky said despite the bitter winter cold, heavy fighting continued on the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces, which he said now stretches about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) long along eastern and southern Ukraine. Shirsky told reporters that advances in drone warfare technology on both sides of the conflict mean the so-called “kill zone” where troops are at greatest risk on the front lines is now up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) deep. Ukraine’s air force claimed that Russia launched 328 drones and seven missiles toward Ukraine overnight and early Friday, and that its air defense forces shot down 297 drones. Russia’s nighttime drone and powerful glide bomb attacks on the central region of Dnipropetrovsk left one person dead and two others injured, Regional Military Administration Chief Oleksandr Hanza said. Eight people were injured and 18 apartment buildings were damaged in a Russian air raid on the southern Zaporizhzhya region in the early hours of the day, said Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration. A dog shelter in the Zaporizhzhia regional capital was also attacked, killing 13 dogs, said Lekhina Kharchenko, secretary of the Zaporizhzhia city council. Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense forces shot down 38 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 26 over the Bryansk region. Bryansk region governor Alexander Bogomaz said the attack caused a temporary power outage in several villages in the region. Another overnight attack in Ukraine damaged power facilities in the Russian city of Belgorod and disrupted electricity distribution, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. According to local reports, a Ukrainian missile hit a power plant and substation, causing a power outage in parts of the city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian air force’s performance in some areas of the country was “not satisfactory” and said he was taking steps to improve its response to the massive barrage of Russian drones against civilian areas. President Zelenskyy called for faster action to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and repair damage to power grids and heating systems from heavy Russian air strikes. He said more than 1,110 apartment buildings were left without heat as a result of this week’s Russian attack on energy infrastructure. A top Russian military intelligence official was shot and rushed to hospital in his Moscow apartment, investigators said, in what they said was the latest in a series of assassination attempts that Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Investigators said the unidentified gunman fired several shots at Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU, before fleeing the scene. Alexeev’s position meant that he was closely involved in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Reports said that at least three bullets hit the agent, two in the abdomen and one in the leg, leaving Alexeyev bleeding profusely. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination attempt and said, without providing evidence, that it was aimed at sabotaging peace talks. Alekseev’s boss, GRU head Admiral Igor Koshchukov, is leading the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi to negotiate security-related aspects of a potential peace deal with Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha told Reuters that Kiev had nothing to do with the attack.
military aid
Canada is supplying AIM missiles to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote in X, adding that supplies have already begun. Fedorov did not specify the number of missiles, but said he had spoken by phone with Canada’s David McGuinty to discuss joint production of drones, military training and sharing experience. The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of military equipment spare parts and related items to Ukraine at an estimated cost of $185 million, the Pentagon announced.
peace negotiations
A third round of talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine should be held “soon”, but no date has been set yet, the Kremlin announced on Friday. The latest round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday resulted in the two countries agreeing to a major prisoner exchange, but failed to break a ceasefire. Reuters reported that U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators discussed the ambitious goal of reaching a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine by March. This was revealed by three people involved. Under the framework being discussed by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, any deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would vote in national elections at the same time, Reuters reported, according to five sources who requested anonymity to discuss private discussions.
sanctions
US President Donald Trump has lifted the 25% tariff imposed on Indian products related to India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. According to the executive order signed by President Trump, “India has committed to suspend, directly or indirectly, oil imports from the Russian Federation.” The European Commission has proposed a complete ban on all services supporting Russia’s seaborne oil exports. With the help of Western shipping services, Russia exports more than a third of its oil in Western tankers (mainly from Greece, Cyprus and Malta). A ban would end the practice.
politics and diplomacy
Two top officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced on Friday their first visit to Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, acting OSCE Director-General, and OSCE Secretary-General Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Thursday and Friday. French authorities have detected a Russian-linked disinformation campaign alleging involvement with President Emmanuel Macron and convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, authorities said. France’s Vigenum agency, which tracks foreign disinformation campaigns, said on Wednesday it had discovered a social media operation linked to a fabricated video report that claimed “journalists exposed dangerous interactions involving Emmanuel Macron.”
regional security
Russian and U.S. negotiators discussed the expiration of the last remaining nuclear weapons agreement between the two countries and agreed on the need to quickly start new arms control negotiations, the Kremlin said. The U.S. government has called for a new, sweeping arms control treaty that would include China and Russia and accused China of conducting secret nuclear tests in 2020.
sports
The Ukrainian delegation was greeted with deafening applause as athletes and staff entered the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
energy
Ukraine’s energy minister said he had an online meeting with his US counterpart to discuss US liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. Energy Minister Denis Shmyhal said on the Telegram app that LNG supplies could be crucial to ensuring Ukraine’s energy security as the country faces its worst energy crisis of the war due to Russian airstrikes, a cold winter and accumulated damage.
