Overview
- Kharkiv’s mayor said a sustained nighttime barrage targeted the city’s energy facilities, forcing authorities to drain heating systems in at least 820 buildings in severe cold and open all 101 warming centers.
- Ukraine’s General Staff recorded 147 combat engagements on February 2, with the fiercest fighting near Pokrovsk, where Russian forces mounted 39 attacks, and 18 assaults reported on the Huliaipole axis.
- Ukrenergo reported new power outages on the morning of February 2 in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy oblasts as utilities imposed emergency shutdowns and repair crews worked where security allowed.
- Military updates cited extensive Russian use of kamikaze drones alongside air-dropped glide bombs and artillery, underscoring a sustained high-tempo campaign against defenses and logistics.
- France condemned recent Russian strikes on civilians, including a bus in Dnipropetrovsk region and a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia, calling them atrocities and war crimes under international humanitarian law.