Day 1169 of the war began with airstrikes in Kiev and Moscow.
Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital last night with a ballistic missile and 28 drones, causing the death of two civilians and injuring eight others.
The southern city of Zaporizhzhia was also targeted with drones during the night, resulting in four people being injured.
Across the border, in Russia, there was once again an air alert. The main airports in Moscow remained closed for most of the night, and the air defense system destroyed at least 14 Ukrainian drones. Airports in several regional cities were also closed.
Today we also learn that the Trump administration asked the Ukrainian government earlier this year to accept citizens from other countries deported from the US onto its territory.
Situation on the frontline
- Casualties in Kiev - Two people were killed and eight injured today in Kiev in a Russian drone attack, announced the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko. Drone debris fell on a five-story building in the Shevchenkivskyi district in the western part of the capital, causing a fire in which two residents died. "The enemy drone attacks on the city continue. Stay sheltered!" he urged residents. Eight people, including four children, were injured, with three of them hospitalized, while the others received on-site care, the mayor added. Three children were hospitalized with burns after drone debris caused a fire in their nine-story building in the Sviatoshynskyi district, also in the western part of the city, according to rescue services. Other drone debris damaged a building in the Dniprovskyi district, while others fell on open grounds without causing casualties.
- Drones and missiles in Kiev - Russian forces attacked Kiev last night with a ballistic missile and 28 drones. The Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense shot down one missile and 12 drones, while three drones went off radar, and ten left the capital's airspace, as reported by the Kiev military administration, cited by Ukrainska Pravda.
- Attack in the south - The city of Zaporizhzhia (south) was also attacked by 13 Russian drones during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. According to the police, four people were injured.
- Damage at Chernobyl - A Russian Shahed drone attack that took place in mid-February caused tens of millions of euros in damage to the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to initial assessments and engineering experts. The attack did not pose an immediate radiological risk but significantly damaged the €1.5 billion isolation structure built in 2017 to encase the destroyed reactor, likely taking months, if not years, to fully repair. Flying at a low level undetectable by radar, the drone made a 15-square-meter hole in the outer roof and ignited a fire in the inner structure that took over two weeks to extinguish. The cost of full repairs is likely to be borne by Western governments, including the UK, as initial estimates indicate that a complete repair will cost more than the €25 million available in a special international fund for unforeseen situations, as reported by The Guardian.
What is happening in Russia
- Alert in Moscow - The main airports in Moscow remained closed for most of the night after Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that Russian air defense units destroyed at least 14 Ukrainian drones on Tuesday after 10:00 PM local time without reporting any damage. Airports in several regional cities were also closed. Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Tuesday, leading to the suspension of traffic at airports in Moscow and other major cities like Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, and Volgograd. The airport in Kazan remains closed on Wednesday, according to Artem Koreniako.
Other relevant information
- Trump wanted to deport immigrants to Ukraine - The Trump administration requested the Ukrainian government earlier this year to accept an unspecified number of citizens from other countries deported from the US, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The documents do not indicate how officials in Kiev reacted to the proposal transmitted at the end of January by a senior American diplomat, seeking to send citizens of third countries to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion and despite the absence of a functional airport due to ongoing airstrikes. Similar proposals were made to other countries around the same time. Ukraine did not accept deported citizens from the US, and there is no indication that Kiev seriously considered the American proposal. Two Ukrainian officials told WP that the issue never reached the highest levels of the Kiev government.