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Morning Headlines
The Kyiv Independent: Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kyiv overnight on Feb. 5, injuring at least two people, local officials reported.
Politico: Finland has urged U.S. officials not to describe future security pledges to a postwar Ukraine as “Article 5-like,” implying that doing so could undercut the mutual defense clause at the heart of the NATO military alliance.
The Guardian: Western sanctions are having a “significant impact” on the Russian economy, the EU’s sanctions envoy has said, ahead of the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia's flagship liquified natural gas export terminal, Yamal LNG, exported a total of 1.7 million tons of LNG to European markets last month (92.6% of all its exports), accounting for an 8% increase compared to January 2025, German environmental NGO Urgewald has found.
More News
Reuters: European Union ambassadors on Wednesday approved details of a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, an initiative agreed by EU leaders in December to meet most of Kyiv's financial needs in 2026-2027 and keep up its fight against Russia's invasion.
The Kyiv Independent: North Korean troops fighting under Russian command are carrying out attacks in Ukraine’s border areas, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said on Feb. 4.
United24 Media: Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and American defense contractor RTX have engaged in discussions about accelerating the delivery of Patriot missile systems and deepening industrial collaboration to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
Reuters: French President Emmanuel Macron's most senior diplomat was in Moscow on Tuesday to hold talks with Russian officials, said a source who was aware of the meeting and two diplomatic sources.
The Kyiv Independent: The Washington Post, which has been owned by Jeff Bezos since 2013, has shuttered its Kyiv bureau amid the harshest winter since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, multiple staffers reported Feb. 4.
Reuters: Serbia is diversifying its energy supply away from Russia and is already in talks to buy natural gas via a European Union purchasing mechanism, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday.
Politico: The EU’s top sports official has sharply criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino for saying that world football’s governing body should lift its ban on Russia competing in international tournaments.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia spent $325 million on the Feb. 3 mass missile and drone attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Ukraine's military intelligence said on Feb. 4.
Reuters: The outlook for Russian exports will be more challenging in the first quarter of 2026 than last year, with negative consequences for the federal budget, First Deputy Central Bank Governor Alexei Zabotkin said on Wednesday.
AFP, Yahoo News: Italy has thwarted a series of Russian cyberattacks targeting the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the foreign minister said Wednesday, as security operations ramp up with just hours to go before the opening ceremony.
USA Today: A senior Russian official said Moscow is ready to respond with military measures if the United States follows through on its plan to deploy its Golden Dome missile defense program to Greenland.
NV: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a Ukrainian delegation have been invited to the Munich Security Conference, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said.
Euronews: Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and Estonian President Alar Karis have voiced support for the idea of appointing a special European envoy to take part in talks with the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine.
Reuters: Russia's public deficit could balloon to almost triple the official target by end-2026 as a fall in Indian purchases of oil and growing oil trade discounts eat into revenues while spending may be higher than expected, a source close to the government told Reuters.
Reuters: At least seven people were killed and eight more hurt in Russian attacks in the town of Druzhkivka in the Ukraine-controlled frontline region of Donetsk in the east. Russia shelled the town with cluster munitions, targeting the market, and dropped two aerial bombs.
FT: European security officials believe two Russian space vehicles have intercepted the communications of at least a dozen key satellites over the continent. Officials believe that the likely interceptions, which have not previously been reported, risk not only compromising sensitive, unencrypted information transmitted by the satellites but could also allow Moscow to manipulate their trajectories or even crash them (archive).
Reuters: Russian state oil and gas revenues halved in January compared to the same month of last year, hitting their lowest level since July 2020, according to finance ministry data.
Reuters: Estonia's Tax and Customs Board said late on Tuesday it had detained a container ship sailing under the Bahamian flag in Estonia's internal waters that may be linked to smuggling. The ship, named Baltic Spirit, was en route from Ecuador to St. Petersburg in Russia.
worth mentioning
Russia’s Matryoshka bots begin Epstein-themed disinfo campaign, focusing false claims against Ukraine and France
Raytheon secures deal to build thousands of missiles for the US, including Tomahawks
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