Here is the situation on Saturday, February 3, 2024.
Politics and diplomacy
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that parts of Ukraine’s case against Russia, arguing that Moscow baselessly accused Kyiv of genocide to justify the 2022 invasion, can move forward.
- Two French volunteer aid workers were killed in a Russian drone attack in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said, confirming reports from the regional governor and other officials.
- Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, reiterated Kyiv’s call for an international investigation into the crash over the Russian region of Belgorod to determine whether the cargo plane carried weapons or passengers along with the crew.
- Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov suspended a senior official while authorities investigate suspected corruption in the procurement of weapons, his ministry said.
- The Ukrainian government informed the White House that it plans to fire Valerii Zaluzhny, the country’s top military commander overseeing the war against Russia, two sources told the Reuters news agency.
Fighting
- The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said its troops had repelled 19 attacks around the town in the eastern Donetsk region and a further 10 in nearby areas.
- Two Ukrainian drones struck a primary oil processing facility at the Volgograd oil refinery in southern Russia on Saturday in an operation conducted by the SBU security service, a Ukrainian source told Reuters.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the arrival of two new air defence systems that he said could “shoot down anything”.
