Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,076

Here is the situation on Tuesday, February 4:

Fighting

In a bomb blast that occurred inside a residential building in northwest Moscow, one pro-Russian paramilitary leader, Armen Sarkisyan, was killed along with one other person, according to Russian state news agency TASS, and three more people were hurt.
• Following the explosion, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that it had launched a criminal investigation. It is accused of murder, attempted murder, two or more murders, and arms trafficking.

• A number of assassinations in Russia are thought to be the result of Ukrainian forces. In mid-December, Russian General Igor Kirillov died in a remote-controlled blast in Moscow.
• The UN expressed concern about the death of 79 of the country’s captured Ukrainian soldiers in separate incidents since September, which the UN has since shared. One “wounded and incapacitated” Russian soldier was also put to death by Kyiv, according to the UN’s monitoring mission in Ukraine.
• A former United Kingdom MP, Jack Lopresti, has joined the Ukrainian International Legion to help fight against Russia, media reports said. In November, Lopresti reportedly visited Kyiv to support a charity.
• Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Moscow’s air defence units intercepted and destroyed 70 drones in a Ukrainian offensive overnight. According to the ministry, Kyiv targeted energy facilities, including a stricken oil refinery in Volgograd.
• The military of Ukraine claimed responsibility for the strikes that targeted Russian energy facilities, including an Astrakhan gas processing plant and a Russian oil refinery in Volgograd. According to the military, the two companies provided fuel to the Russian Army.

• 38 of the 71 Russian drones launched at Ukraine overnight were destroyed, according to Kyiv’s Air Force. According to the Air Force, 25 drones vanished from radars without reaching their targets.
• Russian forces advanced 430 km (166 km) into Ukrainian territory in January, according to the AFP news agency, citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Humanitarian efforts

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said 12 children taken by Russia were brought back to Kyiv under the Bring Kids Back UA programme. Russia has not yet made any comments on the assertion.

Russian gas and oil

• After months of power cuts caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova’s separatist enclave, was helped by funding from the European Union. With no further arrangements in place, the EU’s $65 million funding is claimed to be sufficient to meet Transnistria’s needs for just 10 days.

Politics &amp, diplomacy

• Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, praised the United States’ request to hold presidential elections in Ukraine by the end of the year, claiming that they were necessary for legitimacy. He added that there hadn’t been any meaningful discussions about who would participate in negotiations to put an end to the war.

• Moscow added that it was too early for Russia to consider the US, Ukraine, Russia, and the EU-style four-way peace talks model suggested by Zelenskyy. If Washington and Moscow agreed to ceasefire talks without involving Kyiv, according to Selenskyy, it would be “very dangerous.”
• Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticised the Finnish government for releasing a report outlining the information to Ukrainian citizens who are considering volunteering on Ukraine’s side in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• Donald Trump, the president of the United States, stated to reporters in the Oval Office that he wants to secure Ukraine’s supply of rare earth metals in exchange for US aid.
• The Foreign Ministry of Moldova criticized the drone’s invasion of its airspace and said it was considering improving airspace defense with allies. The statement provided details about the drone’s entry into Ukrainian airspace, but it never revealed its location or likely owner.