Russia strikes Ukraine overnight as Zelensky denies plans to hold war anniversary elections
Russian forces overnight launched ballistic missile and drone strikes on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, as President Volodymyr Zelensky denied reports that an election or referendum on territorial integrity would be announced on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion.
In Kiev, a ballistic missile attack destroyed a private residence, wounding at least two people, one of whom was taken to hospital in serious condition, according to city mayor Vitali Klitschko and head of the city’s military administration, Timur Tkachenko.
Local authorities reported on February 12 that the overnight attack on the southern city of Odessa damaged civilian and vital infrastructure and injured at least one person.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, ballistic missiles hit the cities of Dnipro and Pavlohrad, damaging residential buildings and cars.
Dnipropetrovsk Region Governor Oleksandr Hansa said that two young children were injured in the attack on Dnipro and were receiving medical care.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepha condemned the strikes, saying Russia launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles overnight, targeting the energy system and depriving people of electricity, heat and water.
“Civilians were injured, including a toddler and a 4-year-old. No one can close their eyes to Russian terrorism. It’s happening right now in central Europe,” he wrote on X, adding that the attacks came despite talk of an Olympic truce and US-led peace efforts.
Meanwhile, Russia said it intercepted a missile attack in the Volgograd region, but falling debris sparked a fire at a military facility and led to the evacuation of a nearby village.
Regional Governor Andrei Bocharov He said Russian air defense units repelled the “missile attack,” adding that debris from the attack ignited a fire at a Defense Ministry facility near the village of Kotluban.
Russian Astra telegram channel The military base that was attacked reportedly stores missiles, adding that publicly available data describes it as a large ammunition storage complex.
President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on this earlier Financial Times report This indicates that he may announce a plan to hold presidential elections and a referendum on February 24, the fourth anniversary of the large-scale Russian invasion.
He denied the report, saying that February 24 “cannot be used to announce any election, any election at all.”
“This is a very serious history: four years of war. There are a huge number of people who defended our country and gave their lives.”
Zelensky reiterated that he is ready to hold elections in his war-torn country if the United States and other allies can provide the necessary security to ensure that the vote is held safely.
“We can move towards elections when all relevant security guarantees are in place,” he wrote in a post on X.
