Poltava after Russian missile strike killed at least 5 killed and 13 injured in Poltava

A Russian missile struck a five-story residential building in Poltava early on Feb. 1, killing at least five people and injuring 13 others, including three children, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.

The powerful strike destroyed an entire section of the building, sparking a fire and damaging nearby structures. Emergency workers rescued 22 people from the rubble, said acting Poltava Oblast Governor Volodymyr Kohut.

Later in the afternoon, authorities recovered another body, bringing the death toll to five. The search and rescue operation remains underway, with over 400 emergency responders and municipal workers involved, reported acting Mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova.

The attack on Poltava was part of a wider assault, as Russian forces launched strikes on residential areas in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia overnight, according to Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak.

"Attacks on residential buildings, civilians—typical tactics of the Russian army," Yermak said on Telegram. "This is the true face of Russia: murderers who have absolutely no respect for any leader in the world or any other nation."

Poltava, a Ukrainian city located in the North-East with a population of about 300,000, is approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Russian border. The region has frequently come under Russian drone and missile attacks since the start of the war, including a devastating strike on the Poltava Military Institute of Communications last September that claimed 51 lives and injured over 270 people.

 Russian missile hit the historic center of Odesa injuring 7 civilians

Russian forces launched missile strikes on Odesa's UNESCO-protected historic center on the evening of Jan. 31, injuring at least seven people, according to regional authorities.

The attack involved three explosions around 8 p.m. local time, shortly after Ukraine's Air Force issued a warning about missile launches from the Black Sea.

"The strikes are directly targeting the city, hitting ordinary civilian buildings. Again and again: Air defense systems are the first priority," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

According to Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper, among the damaged structures was the iconic five-star Bristol Hotel, where one hotel employee was injured. Debris also fell near the Opera House, a well-known downtown landmark. Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov reported significant damage in the city's historic district.

Odesa's historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in January 2023. In July of that year, a Russian missile strike damaged over 20 architectural monuments, including a devastating hit on the Transfiguration Cathedral.

Odesa, a port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast with a population of around one million, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks throughout the full-scale war.

A Russian agent from Lviv was arrested in Kyiv while preparing an attack near the Security Service building

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) successfully prevented a large-scale terrorist attack on a busy central street in Kyiv, detaining a Russian agent who was planning to detonate explosives near an SSU facility.

According to the SSU and the Prosecutor General's Office, the suspect began collaborating with Russian intelligence in December 2024 after reaching out through a messaging app. Her assigned mission was to carry out an attack targeting SSU personnel.

The suspect, a 22-year-old woman from Lviv, rented a flat opposite an SSU facility and installed remote-access surveillance cameras, enabling Russian operatives to monitor the building. She also transported 7 kg of TNT and detonators to assemble a powerful explosive device.

Although the targeted SSU site had been vacated after personnel were relocated to backup locations following the full-scale invasion, the SSU warned that the planned attack could have caused mass civilian casualties.

SSU operatives apprehended the suspect as she retrieved a bag of explosives from a hiding spot and returned to her flat. A homemade explosive device with the destructive potential of 7 kg of TNT was seized at the scene.

Investigators revealed that Russian handlers had remotely recruited the suspect, who was reportedly a drug addict seeking "quick money" on Telegram. Upon arriving in Kyiv, she was provided with a prearranged flat and a surveillance camera, which she mounted on the balcony to stream real-time footage of the area to Russian intelligence.

The suspect's mobile phone, used to communicate with Russian operatives, was also confiscated.

She now faces formal charges under multiple articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.