Ukraine and its western allies have agreed that Russian violations of a future ceasefire agreement would be met with a military response by Europe before any involvement by the US, according to a report.
Under the plan, Moscow would first be issued a diplomatic warning and retaliatory action by Ukrainian forces if necessary, the Financial Times reported.
If the ceasefire infraction persists, forces from the Coalition of the Willing will take action. The US would become involved only if still necessary after these first steps.
The response would start within 24 hours, according to people who have been brief on the discussions.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has said he is expecting "good news" when trilateral peace talks resume from Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, declaring: “I think we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, I’m saying that.”
But overnight Russian air attacks continued into this week, with explosions ringing out in Kyiv on Monday night into Tuesday, after a pause requested by Trump.
As of Tuesday morning, emergency power cuts were in effect in the Ukrainian capital after Russian forces again targeted power plants and energy infrastructure.
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Key Points
- Ukraine agrees multi-tiered ceasefire enforcement plan – report
- Ukrainian cities struck by drones and missiles in overnight attack
- Trump expresses hope on 'good news' from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia
- Zelensky says Ukraine's delegation heading to Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks
- Trump says his new trade deal will help 'END THE WAR' in Ukraine
Rutte to meet Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday - report
10:40 , Alex CroftNato secretary general Mark Rutte has arrived in Kyiv where he will meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, a Financial Times correspondent said in a post on X.
Rutte's reported visit comes after Russia attacked Ukraine with 450 drones and over 60 missiles overnight.
Russia and Ukraine said last week they halted strikes on each other's energy infrastructure, but disagreed on the timeframe for the truce.
Russia ready for a world with no nuclear limits, says Moscow
10:22 , Alex CroftRussia is ready for the new reality of a world with no nuclear arms control limits after the New START treaty expires later this week, Russia's point man for arms control said on Tuesday.
The Trump administration has been urged, including former president Barack Obama, to ensure the treaty is not allowed to expire.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov also said that if the US pumped lots of missile defence systems onto Greenland, then Russia would have to take compensatory measures in its military sphere.
Top Kremlin official's chilling nuclear warning as treaty due to expire
09:55 , Alex CroftOne killed and five injured in Kharkiv attacks
09:31 , Alex CroftAn 85-year-old woman has been killed and five others injured in Russian strikes on the city of Kharkiv and its surrounding villages in the past 24 hours, the chief of the region’s military administration has said.
Among the injured were two women aged 79 and 61, and three men aged 67, 58 and 22, Oleh Syniehubov said.
Russian forces used drones to attack the Slobidskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Osnovianskyi, Saltivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi districts of Kharkiv, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
The region’s energy infrastructure was also targeted in the attack.
Russia launches 450 drones and 71 missiles in huge air attack on Ukraine
09:07 , Alex CroftRussian forces launched a huge overnight air attack on Ukraine from Monday into Tuesday, including 71 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force has said.
In the update, Kyiv listed which munitions were used in the attack:
- 32 Iskander-M/S-300 ballistic missiles
- 28 Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles
- 7 Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles
- 4 Zirkon/Oniks missiles
- 450 drones/UAVs
It marks one of the largest air attacks of the war, particularly in terms of the number of missiles fired at Ukrainian targets.
The air force said it had downed 450 projectiles, including 38 missiles and 412 drones.
In pictures: Ukrainian police clear Russian suicide drone after it strikes apartment
08:40 , Alex Croft Russian forces attack DTEK thermal plants causing significant damage
08:16 , Alex CroftRussian forces attacked thermal plants belonging to Ukraine’s DTEK power company, significantly damaging its equipment, the company has said on Telegram.
DTEK says it is the ninth “massive attack” on the company’s thermal power plants since October 2025.
“In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, DTEK thermal power plants have been attacked by the enemy more than 220 times. As a result, 59 power plant operators were injured and 4 died,” it added.
The Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi areas of Kyiv have been left in large part without heating after an overnight Russian strike on the capital city’s energy infrastructure.
Fifa president says Russia ban should be lifted after 'achieving nothing'
07:50 , Alex CroftFifa president Gianni Infantino said he wants Russia's four-year ban from international tournaments lifted because it had "achieved nothing".
Russian clubs and the national team have been suspended from Fifa and Uefa competitions since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
"This ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred," Mr Infantino told Sky Sports.
"Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help."
The Fifa chief said the organisation should "actually never ban any country from playing football because of the acts of their political leaders."
"Somebody needs to keep the ties open," the 55-year-old added.
Ukraine sports minister Matvii Bidnyi said Infantino's comments were "irresponsible" and "infantile".
"They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed," Bidnyi told Sky Sports.
Trump says his new trade deal will help 'END THE WAR' in Ukraine
07:26 , Arpan RaiPresident Donald Trump has said his latest trade deal signed with India will end the war in Ukraine as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil.
The US president said that he plans to lower tariff on goods from India to 18 per cent from 25 per cent in a breakthrough deal, months after Washington pressed New Delhi to cut its reliance on cheap Russian crude.
Trump said that India would also start to reduce its import taxes on US goods to zero and buy $500bn worth of American products.
“This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!" Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the tariff reduction on India.
India has taken advantage of reduced Russian oil prices as much of the world has sought to isolate Moscow for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands without heating in Kyiv as Russia pummels Ukrainian capital
07:07 , Arpan RaiThousands of residents in 1,170 apartment buildings in Kyiv are without heating after an overnight attack on the city's energy infrastructure, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine's capital, as well as its second largest city Kharkiv and other major urban centres, in the early hours of this morning, officials said, triggering fires and dealing new blows to energy infrastructure.
The strikes injured four people, officials in the two largest cities said.
Ukraine's foreign minister says Russia fired over 500 drones and missiles overnight in the biggest attack this year
06:57 , Arpan RaiRussia has attacked Ukraine with 450 drones and more than 60 missiles overnight, foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said, adding that Moscow waited for temperatures to drop before attacking Ukraine’s energy system.
“Neither anticipated diplomatic efforts in Abu Dhabi this week nor his promises to the United States kept him from continuing terror against ordinary people in the harshest winter," Sybiha said on X, referring to Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
This is the highest combined total for drones and missiles Russia has fired on Ukraine this year, and one of the biggest aerial attacks throughout the course of the war.
Trump expresses hope on 'good news' from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia
06:54 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has said his negotiating team working on ending the war in Ukraine could have some good news soon.
“I think we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, I’m saying that,” the US president said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.
“I think we’re going to, maybe, have some good news”.
Hours later, Russian forces rained missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities, resuming their attacks after a week of ceasefire requested by Trump.
A kindergarten was among many of the civilian targets hit in Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv.
Russia attacks Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in overnight attack
06:25 , Arpan RaiAt least four people have been injured in Russia’s overnight missile attack on Kyiv, officials said, confirming damage to apartment blocks and other buildings.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a building housing a kindergarten had been set on fire and a non-residential building hit in eastern districts.
In Kyiv, as nighttime temperatures dipped close to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F), witnesses reported loud explosions after midnight, saying both missiles and drones were being deployed.
The strikes caused damage in five districts, hitting three apartment blocks and a building housing a kindergarten, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration.
An air raid alert remained in effect more than two hours after it had been announced.
Tkachenko confirmed that several apartment buildings, an education establishment and a commercial building had been damaged in districts east of the Dnipro River.
Early visuals from the attacked parts of the Ukrainian capital showed an apartment on the upper floors of a Kyiv block ablaze.
Russian air attacks were also confirmed in other Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv, where the regional governor said at least two were injured.
Ukraine agrees multi-tiered ceasefire enforcement plan – report
06:14 , Arpan RaiUkraine has reportedly agreed to a new proposal for a multi-tiered response to Russian violations of a future ceasefire agreement.
Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed that such an eventuality would involve a co-ordinated military response from both the US and Europe, officials told the Financial Times.
According to the proposal, any Russian breach of a ceasefire would prompt a response within 24 hours, starting with a diplomatic warning and then, if necessary, action by the Ukrainian army to halt the infraction.
If hostilities continued beyond that, the proposal would move to a second phase of intervention using forces from the so-called Coalition of the Willing, which includes many EU members and the UK, Norway, Iceland and Turkey, the report said.
The report added that in the case of an expanded attack, a coordinated response by a Western-backed force, incorporating the US military, would be triggered 72 hours after the initial breach.
The plan was discussed on several occasions in December and January between Ukrainian, European and American officials and would involve a multi-tiered response to any breaches of an agreed armistice by Russia, the report said.
These talks will continue tomorrow as envoys from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington will gather in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.
Watch: Trump expresses hope on 'good news' from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia
06:00 , Arpan RaiMore than half of Ukrainians oppose giving Donbas to Russia for security guarantees
05:54 , Arpan RaiA total of 52 per cent of Ukrainians are opposed to handing over the Donbas to Russia in exchange for security guarantees, a new survey shows.
More than 1,000 Ukrainians were asked if they agree to the condition of Ukraine withdrawing its troops from the territories of Donbas that it currently controls and handing these to Russia.
In return, the survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) posits, the US and Europe would give Ukraine "security guarantees".
The respondents were given the choice to either “easily agree to this condition”, call it “a difficult condition, but generally acceptable” or “unacceptable”.
A total of 52 per cent said the proposal was “totally unacceptable”, while around 40 per cent of Ukrainians would reluctantly support the move.
A further 7 per cent were unable to make up their minds.
“It should be noted separately that among Kyiv residents, 59 per cent consider such a condition to be categorically unacceptable. 31 per cent are ready to accept it. That is, despite the difficult situation in the capital, the majority reject it,” the KIIS said in a statement.
Ukrainian maternity hospital hit in Russian strike
04:36 , Arpan RaiUkrainian cities struck by drones and missiles in overnight attack
04:01 , Arpan RaiSeveral reports on explosions are coming in from Ukrainian cities.
Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, reported several strikes in succession by drones and missiles.
Public broadcaster Suspilne reported a series of explosions in the southeastern city of Dnipro and in Sumy, near the Russian border.
Trump expresses hope on 'good news' from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia
03:54 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has said his negotiating team working on ending the war in Ukraine could have some good news soon.
“I think we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. For the first time, I’m saying that,” the US president said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.
“I think we’re going to, maybe, have some good news”.
Hours later, Russian forces rained missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities, resuming their attacks after a week of ceasefire requested by Trump.
A kindergarten was among many of the civilian targets hit in Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv.
Russia says foreign forces in Ukraine would be 'legitimate targets'
03:45 , Arpan RaiRussia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said it would regard the deployment of any foreign military forces or infrastructure in Ukraine as foreign intervention and treat those forces as legitimate targets.
“The deployment of military units, facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries in Ukraine is unacceptable to us and will be regarded as foreign intervention posing a direct threat to Russia's security," the Russian foreign ministry said, quoting the foreign minister.
It said Western countries – which have discussed a possible deployment to Ukraine to help secure any peace deal – had to understand "that all foreign military contingents, including German ones, if deployed in Ukraine, will become legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces”.
Zelensky says military will respond to Russian ‘terror’ attacks on railways
03:39 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he has ordered the country’s military leaders to respond to the latest series of Russian attacks on the war-hit nation’s railway infrastructure and logistics routes.
Russian forces have increased their attacks on Ukraine’s nationwide railway network after capturing critical train hubs in Kupiansk and Pokrovsk. At least five people were killed after a train was attacked in the eastern region of Kharkiv.
“The Russian army remains focused on terror against our logistics – primarily railway infrastructure,” Zelensky said. “In particular, there were strikes in the Dnipro region and in Zaporizhzhia, specifically targeting railway facilities,” he said.
“During today’s coordination call, specific tasks in this regard were set for the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Minister of Defence, and the Head of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways). I expect these tasks to be carried out today,” he said.
I held a coordination call on the situation in Ukraine. As of today, Ukrainian energy workers and repair crews have fully restored the energy system to its pre-incident state before Saturday’s technical failure. The system is operating stably. However, given the extremely cold… pic.twitter.com/0V7OjaoKyN
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 2, 2026
Trump says his new trade deal will help 'END THE WAR' in Ukraine
03:23 , Arpan RaiPresident Donald Trump has said his latest trade deal signed with India will end the war in Ukraine as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil.
The US president said that he plans to lower tariff on goods from India to 18 per cent from 25 per cent in a breakthrough deal, months after Washington pressed New Delhi to cut its reliance on cheap Russian crude.
Trump said that India would also start to reduce its import taxes on US goods to zero and buy $500bn worth of American products.
“This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!" Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the tariff reduction on India.
India has taken advantage of reduced Russian oil prices as much of the world has sought to isolate Moscow for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky says Ukraine's delegation heading to Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks
03:10 , Arpan RaiPresident Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is sending a delegation to a new round of US-brokered talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
The talks, which were initially tabled to be held over the weekend, are now set to go ahead this week after a brief postponement, a senior Kremlin official said.
The negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of continued front-line fighting and deadly long-range attacks on rear areas.
The trilateral talks will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, where a previous meeting was held last month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed.
UK expels Russian diplomat after spying accusations
03:00 , Alex CroftThe UK has expelled a Russian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow last month expelled a British diplomat, accusing them of being an undeclared spy.
Russia's accusations were "baseless" and the expulsion was "unprovoked and unjustified", a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office (FCDO) said in a statement on Monday.
"Summoning the Russian Ambassador, a senior FCDO official made it clear that the UK will not stand for intimidation of British Embassy staff and so we are taking reciprocal action today, revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat," the spokesperson said.
Russia and the West have repeatedly accused each other of espionage campaigns since the war erupted in Ukraine.
The FCDO spokesperson added that "any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly”.
Russia attacks Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in overnight attack
02:58 , Arpan RaiAt least two people have been injured in Russia’s overnight missile attack on Kyiv, officials said, confirming damage to apartment blocks and other buildings.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a building housing a kindergarten had been set on fire and a non-residential building hit in eastern districts.
An air raid alert remained in effect more than two hours after it had been announced.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, confirmed that several apartment buildings, an education establishment and a commercial building had been damaged in districts east of the Dnipro River.
In Kyiv, Reuters witnesses reported loud explosions in the city after midnight and said both missiles and drones were being deployed.
Early visuals from the attacked parts of the Ukrainian capital showed an apartment on the upper floors of a Kyiv block ablaze.
Russian air attacks were also confirmed in other Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv, where the regional governor said at least two were injured.
Ukrainian maternity hospital hit in Russian strike
02:01 , Alex CroftUkraine's energy company says Russia attacked coal enterprise
01:01 , Alex CroftUkraine's energy company DTEK said on Monday that Russia attacked one of its coal enterprises in the Dnipropetrovsk region for the second time in 24 hours.
The company said in a statement that administrative buildings were damaged in the strike. The attack follows the strike on Sunday in which 12 miners were killed and 16 wounded.
It comes after Mr Zelensky said there were no strikes on energy infrastructure in the past 24 hours - we’re working to clarify the timings for you.
Russia suffers heaviest losses since WWII as casualties in Ukraine conflict near 2 million
00:01 , Alex CroftThe number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of Russia's war on Ukraine could hit two million by the spring, a report has warned.
It would mean Russia suffering the largest number of troop deaths recorded for any major power in any conflict since the Second World War.
The study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies revealed the slow, deadly grind of the conflict, and comes before the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
The report said Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025. "No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” the authors said.
Our foreign news reporter Maira Butt reports:
Russia suffers heaviest losses since World War 2
More than half of Ukrainians oppose giving Donbas to Russia for security guarantees
Monday 2 February 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftA total of 52 per cent of Ukrainians are opposed to handing over the Donbas to Russia in exchange for security guarantees, according to a new survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
Around 40 per cent of Ukrainians would support the move, the survey said.
The poll showed that 52 per cent saw it as a totally unacceptable condition ot hand over the Donbas, and the 40 per cent willing to accept the condition admit it would be difficult.
A further 7 per cent were unable to make up their minds, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Russia claims control over village in Zaporizhzhia region
Monday 2 February 2026 22:03 , Alex CroftMoscow has claimed its forces have taken control over the settlement of Prydorozhnie in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to state-run news agency RIA.
The Independent could not independently verify the claim.
Kremlin confirms Ukraine-Russia talks to begin Wednesday
Monday 2 February 2026 21:02 , Alex CroftThe next round of US-brokered trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi from February 4-5, the Kremlin said on Monday, adding that talks planned for February 1 had not happened for scheduling reasons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia and Ukraine had so far managed to narrow their differences on some issues, but had not made similar progress when it came to what he called more complex issues.
Ukraine to receive two lorries worth of spuds in Berlin potato dump
Monday 2 February 2026 20:00 , Alex CroftUkraine is receiving two lorries worth of potatoes after Berlin experienced a bumper harvest year with its biggest crop in more than two decades.
The phenomenon has inspired a potato dump in Berlin, as farmers, not wanting their produce to go to waste, have given away their potatoes away to soup kitchens, schools, churches, and the public.
Two lorries worth of spuds have also been delivered to Ukraine.
It comes as the country experiences a brutal winter, with temperatures in some areas dropping to -30C.
Russia has been repeatedly targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving thousands of Ukrainians without power or food.
Reminder: Zelensky warns Russia is planning ‘massive’ strike ahead of peace talks
Monday 2 February 2026 19:01 , Alex CroftAs we near the resumption of Ukrainian-US-Russian peace talks this week, let’s take a look back at President Zelensky’s warning from Thursday.
Exclusive: Ukraine peace deal must put people before land, warns key Zelensky ally
Monday 2 February 2026 18:29 , Alex CroftA key political ally of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine has called for a peace deal which prioritises people over land ahead of a major conference in the war torn country on Thursday.
Vitaliy Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv Oblast region in Ukraine, is an emerging name in Ukrainian politics and spoke to The Independent as other governors and mayors get together to discuss where the peace line needs to be drawn in the war with Russia.
Mr Kim headed the Mykolaiv branch of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party during the 2019 elections and was appointed by the Ukrainian president to be regional governor in November 2020.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Ukraine peace deal must put people before land, warns key Zelensky ally
Expiry of Russia-US nuclear treaty should alarm the world, says Medvedev
Monday 2 February 2026 17:59 , Alex CroftDmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that if the New START treaty expires then the world should be alarmed that the biggest nuclear powers had no limits for the first time in decades.
Signed in 2010 by US president Barack Obama and Medvedev, the New START treaty limited the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 on each side.
It is due to expire on February 5 and Russian officials have said they have had no official response from Washington on a proposal from Vladimir Putin to stick to existing missile and warhead limits for one more year.
"I don't want to say that this immediately means a catastrophe and a nuclear war will begin, but it should still alarm everyone," Medvedev told Reuters news agency, TASS and the WarGonzo Russian war blogger in an interview at his residence outside Moscow.
"The (doomsday) clocks are ticking and they obviously have to speed up," he said.
Four injured in Russian attack on Cherkasy
Monday 2 February 2026 17:27 , Alex CroftAt least four people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the Cherkasy region last night.
Ihor Taburets, head of the region’s military administration, said authorities are “recording the fall of enemy drones at several locations” after “fires broke out” as a result of the attack.
Russia fired 171 drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile in the overnight attack.
Putin's aide says Russia will not accept Nato-member forces in Ukraine
Monday 2 February 2026 16:55 , Alex CroftA proposal by European powers to deploy Nato-member troops in Ukraine as part of a proposed security guarantee and peace deal was unacceptable for Russia, said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council.
"What kind of guarantee can we talk about if a foreign contingent of unfriendly Nato member states is stationed on the territory of such a state," Medvedev told said in an interview.
Medvedev said Russia's terms for ending the conflict were unchanged from 2024 when president Vladimir Putin set them out in a speech at the foreign ministry.
Full report: Germany detains 5 men accused of illegally exporting goods to Russian defense companies
Monday 2 February 2026 16:25 , Alex CroftGerman authorities on Monday detained five men accused of being part of a network that illegally exported goods to Russian defense companies after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The arrests took place in Lübeck in northern Germany and in nearby Lauenburg district, federal prosecutors said. The men are all German nationals; two are also Russian citizens and another is also a Ukrainian citizen. They are suspected of membership in a criminal organization and violating Germany's foreign trade and payments act.
Searches were carried out at properties elsewhere in the country, and another five suspects have not been detained, prosecutors said in a statement.
Read the full story:
Germany detains 5 men accused of illegally exporting goods to Russian defense companies
Ukraine's electricity imports jump by 40 per cent in January 2026
Monday 2 February 2026 15:53 , Alex CroftUkraine's electricity imports jump by 40 per cent in January 2026 versus December 2025 to a record 894 gigawatt hours amid constant Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, analyst ExPro said on Monday.
"This is the highest import figure for the period of full-scale war. Hungary continues to account for the largest share – 45%. Overall, supplies increased in all directions except Moldova," the consultancy said in a report.
Russian has ramped up attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure during 2026, as the war-torn country has been in the grip of bitter wintery weather.
EU's ban on Russian gas imports '100% legally sound', says energy commissioner
Monday 2 February 2026 15:21 , Alex CroftThe EU’s decision last week to ban Russian gas imports was "100% legally sound", the bloc's energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen told reporters in Lisbon on Monday.
"We've said we will no longer help indirectly finance (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war in Ukraine by buying gas there," Mr Jorgensen said after meeting with Portugal’s energy minister Maria da Graca Carvalho.
"That also means it's no longer possible for Russia to blackmail EU member states to weaponise energy against us," he added.
Despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, European Union countries last week approved a law banning Russian gas imports by late 2027, turning a political pledge to cut energy ties with Moscow into binding legislation nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
'Evil must stop’: Zelenskyy mourns latest Russian attack on miners as he confirms next diplomatic talks in UAE
Monday 2 February 2026 14:50 , Alex CroftUK expels Russian diplomat after spying accusations
Monday 2 February 2026 14:19 , Alex CroftThe UK has expelled a Russian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow last month expelled a British diplomat, accusing them of being an undeclared spy.
Russia's accusations were "baseless" and the expulsion was "unprovoked and unjustified", a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office (FCDO) said in a statement on Monday.
"Summoning the Russian Ambassador, a senior FCDO official made it clear that the UK will not stand for intimidation of British Embassy staff and so we are taking reciprocal action today, revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat," the spokesperson said.
Russia and the West have repeatedly accused each other of espionage campaigns since the war erupted in Ukraine.
The FCDO spokesperson added that "any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly”.
Kyiv adviser claims attack on miner bus was 'double tap' strike
Monday 2 February 2026 13:41 , Alex CroftSerhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, has claimed that Russian forces “100 per cent saw and recognised the target as civilian” in a drone attack on a bus which killed at least 12 miners.
Beskrestnov says Russian forces attacked the miners for a second time as they fled the bus following the first strike, in what is known as a “double tap strike”.
He said on Telegram that a Shahed pilot “saw a bus below and decided to attack it”, adding that the “driver lost control under the influence of the blast wave and drove into the fence” before injured people began to flee.
“At this time, the operator of the second Shahed saw people and directed the Shahed directly at civilians,” Beskrestnov said.
“The operators from the territory of Russia 100% saw and recognized the target as a civilian, saw that it was not a military person and made a conscious decision to attack,” he added, describing the attack as “terrorism”.
Zelensky says work underway on 20th EU sanctions package
Monday 2 February 2026 13:25 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky has said work is underway on the 20th EU sanctions package on Russia, and that it is expected to be adopted by the end of February.
“We continue to synchronize our sanctions with the European Union. I signed a decree imposing sanctions against companies that service the Russian tanker fleet and transport sanctioned oil,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
“There are also new sanctions targeting Kremlin propagandists and criminals involved in cyberattacks against Ukraine and our partners.
“Last week, the European Union synchronized Ukrainian sanctions in its jurisdiction against six Russian propagandists,” he said, adding that “many” of Kyiv’s proposals have been taken into account for the 20th package.
Ukrainian maternity hospital hit in Russian strike
Monday 2 February 2026 13:03 , Alex CroftUkraine's energy company says Russia attacked coal enterprise
Monday 2 February 2026 12:40 , Alex CroftUkraine's energy company DTEK said on Monday that Russia attacked one of its coal enterprises in the Dnipropetrovsk region for the second time in 24 hours.
The company said in a statement that administrative buildings were damaged in the strike. The attack follows the strike on Sunday in which 12 miners were killed and 16 wounded.
It comes after Mr Zelensky said there were no strikes on energy infrastructure in the past 24 hours - we’re working to clarify the timings for you.
German authorities arrest five people accused of exporting goods to Russian defence companies
Monday 2 February 2026 12:17 , Alex CroftGerman authorities have arrested five people suspected of circumventing European Union sanctions by exporting goods to at least 24 listed Russian defence companies, the federal prosecutor's office said.
The German, Ukrainian and Russian nationals are accused of using a Luebeck-based company and shell firms to make 16,000 deliveries to Russia worth at least 30 million euros ($36 million) since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Russian state agencies are suspected of being behind the procurement network, the office added in a statement.
No Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in past 24 hours
Monday 2 February 2026 11:54 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky said that there had been no new targeted strikes by Russian missiles or Shahed drones on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, but there had been new Russian attacks on energy facilities in frontline regions.
“The system is operating stably,” he wrote on X. “However, given the extremely cold weather and the impact of Russian strikes, all challenges remain serious.
“Over the past 24 hours, there were new Russian attacks on energy facilities in frontline and border communities. At the same time, there were no targeted strikes by Russian missiles or ‘shaheds’ [drones] against energy infrastructure.”
Mr Zelensky added that Russian forces had remained focused on attacking the Ukrainian transport logistics, in line with recent days.
I held a coordination call on the situation in Ukraine. As of today, Ukrainian energy workers and repair crews have fully restored the energy system to its pre-incident state before Saturday’s technical failure. The system is operating stably. However, given the extremely cold… pic.twitter.com/0V7OjaoKyN
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 2, 2026
Russia suffers heaviest losses since WWII as casualties in Ukraine conflict near 2 million
Monday 2 February 2026 11:25 , Alex CroftThe number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of Russia's war on Ukraine could hit two million by the spring, a report has warned.
It would mean Russia suffering the largest number of troop deaths recorded for any major power in any conflict since the Second World War.
The study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies revealed the slow, deadly grind of the conflict, and comes before the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
The report said Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025. "No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” the authors said.
Our foreign news reporter Maira Butt reports:
Russia suffers heaviest losses since World War 2
More than half of Ukrainians oppose giving Donbas to Russia for security guarantees
Monday 2 February 2026 10:59 , Alex CroftA total of 52 per cent of Ukrainians are opposed to handing over the Donbas to Russia in exchange for security guarantees, according to a new survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
Around 40 per cent of Ukrainians would support the move, the survey said.
The poll showed that 52 per cent saw it as a totally unacceptable condition ot hand over the Donbas, and the 40 per cent willing to accept the condition admit it would be difficult.
A further 7 per cent were unable to make up their minds, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Russia claims control over village in Zaporizhzhia region
Monday 2 February 2026 10:33 , Alex CroftMoscow has claimed its forces have taken control over the settlement of Prydorozhnie in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to state-run news agency RIA.
The Independent could not independently verify the claim.
Kremlin confirms Ukraine-Russia talks to begin Wednesday
Monday 2 February 2026 10:08 , Alex CroftThe next round of US-brokered trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi from February 4-5, the Kremlin said on Monday, saying talks planned for February 1 had not happened for scheduling reasons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia and Ukraine had so far managed to narrow their differences on some issues, but had not made similar progress when it came to what he called more complex issues.
Ukraine to receive two lorries worth of spuds in Berlin potato dump
Monday 2 February 2026 09:45 , Alex CroftUkraine is receiving two lorries worth of potatoes after Berlin experienced a bumper harvest year with its biggest crop in more than two decades.
The phenomenon has inspired a potato dump in Berlin, as farmers, not wanting their produce to go to waste, have given away their potatoes away to soup kitchens, schools, churches, and the public.
Two lorries worth of spuds have also been delivered to Ukraine.
It comes as the country experiences a brutal winter, with temperatures in some areas dropping to -30C.
Russia has been repeatedly targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving thousands of Ukrainians without power or food.
Reminder: Zelensky warns Russia is planning ‘massive’ strike ahead of peace talks
Monday 2 February 2026 09:21 , Alex CroftAs we near the resumption of Ukrainian-US-Russian peace talks this week, let’s take a look back at President Zelensky’s warning from Thursday.
Exclusive: Ukraine peace deal must put people before land, warns key Zelensky ally
Monday 2 February 2026 08:57 , Alex CroftA key political ally of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine has called for a peace deal which prioritises people over land ahead of a major conference in the war torn country on Thursday.
Vitaliy Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv Oblast region in Ukraine, is an emerging name in Ukrainian politics and spoke to The Independent as other governors and mayors get together to discuss where the peace line needs to be drawn in the war with Russia.
Mr Kim headed the Mykolaiv branch of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party during the 2019 elections and was appointed by the Ukrainian president to be regional governor in November 2020.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Ukraine peace deal must put people before land, warns key Zelensky ally
