Ukraine Live Briefing: Pregnant Woman Among Izyum Victims

RFE
4 Feb 2025

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western military aid to Kyiv, worldwide reaction, and the plight of civilians and refugees. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Latest Developments At A Glance Russian forces have launched a deadly missile strike on the eastern frontline city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, killing at least five and injuring dozens. A pregnant woman was among those who died. Kyiv called a proposal that Washington has developed thus far for peace in Ukraine a 'failed plan,' saying a push for a cease-fire and elections in Ukraine isn't enough to 'intimidate' Russian President Vladimir Putin. The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava has risen to 14, including two children, according to the State Emergency Service. The Ukrainian military and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had struck a boarding school in the Ukrainian-occupied Russian region of Kursk, killing at least four of "their own citizens" and injuring dozens. Russian troops on January 31 attacked the historical center of the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, damaging buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list and injuring seven people, local officials said. Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement on January 31 that strikes targeted Lukoil-Volgogradneftoperobka, one of the 10 largest oil refineries in Russia in terms of capacity and a major supplier of oil products to the Russian Army. A Russian drone attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called 'a horrible tragedy' struck a residential building in the Ukrainian regional capital Sumy, officials said, killing at least nine and injuring 13 others, including a child. Ukraine's cabinet officially fired Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov in what appears to be a broader shake-up of the Defense Ministry's procurement operations Can Kyiv Convince Ukrainian Refugees To Come Back Home?

As Ukraine faces a critical labor shortage amid its ongoing war with Russia, the government is urging millions of refugees abroad to return and help rebuild the nation. New "unity hubs" in Europe aim to reconnect Ukrainians with their homeland -- but will they be enough to persuade those who have started new lives elsewhere? Read the story by Vasyl Arovych here.

Could Trump Cut A Deal With Putin And Leave Ukraine In The Cold?

U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible, but his desire for peace raises the possibility of striking a deal that leaves Kyiv out in the cold. Read the report by Reid Standish and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service here.

Ukrainians Skeptical Of Trump's Peace Promises

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be returning to the Oval Office on January 20 after he is sworn in for a second term. He has vowed to use his presidency to bring about a swift end to the war in Ukraine. RFE/RL asked people across Ukraine what they expect from Trump's peace efforts. By Kateryna Bankova, Yevhenia Nazarova, Oksana Necheporenko, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service