Russian drone and missile attacks in Ukraine kill 'at least four people' as Moscow's troops continue advance in Ukraine

1 February 2025, 11:54 | Updated: 1 February 2025, 11:59

At least four people have died overnight amid Russian drone and missile strikes in Ukraine.

A Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Poltava killed at least three people and injured 10 more, Ukraine's emergency services reported.

Some 21 people were rescued from the five-storey building, which partially collapsed following the attack, according to the Poltava region's acting governor, Volodymyr Kohut.

Rescue teams reportedly remain at the scene.

Read more: Alleged spy claims she was unaware target had exposed Russian links to Salisbury poisoning insisting she was misled

Read more: Europe divided over sending peacekeeping force to Ukraine

Local governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on social media that a 60-year-old woman was reportedly killed by falling debris from a downed drone in the Kharkiv region.

Moscow troops advancement through Ukraine's east follows on from their months' long campaign to capture the key Donetsk strongholds of Pokrovsk and nearby Chasiv Yar.

Writing on social media on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

"Last night, Russia launched an attack on our cities using various types of weapons: missiles, attack drones, and aerial bombs. Another wave of terrorist crimes.

"In Poltava, a residential building was hit, a section of the building was completely destroyed. Ten people were wounded, including children. Tragically, three people were killed. My condolences to their families. All necessary emergency services are on-site, rescuing and providing necessary assistance.

"Damage has also been reported in Zaporizhzhia, as well as in the Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Kyiv regions. As of now, six people are confirmed wounded. In Kharkiv, one person was killed by a strike drone. In the Sumy region, this Russian attack claimed two more lives. My condolences to their families and loved ones.

"Every such act of terror proves that we need greater support in defending against Russian terror. Every air defense system, every interceptor missile, means a life saved. It is crucial that our partners take action, fulfill our agreements, and increase pressure on Russia."

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began nearly three years ago, has killed more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations.

Many have been evacuated from areas along the roughly 600-mile front line where Ukrainian defences are straining to hold the bigger Russian army at bay.

Civilians have also endured hardship caused by Russian attacks on the power grid that have denied them heating and running water.

According to state energy company Ukrenergo, missile attack prompted emergency power grid shutdowns in seven Ukrainian regions, including Poltava.

Russia's Defence Ministry said strikes also hit Russia, with air defences intercepting nine drones across the country's Bryansk, Belgorod and Saratov regions.

President Donald Trump has previously said that he could put an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr Trump said he loved the Russian people - but that he would put "high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions" on products coming into the US from Russia.

Russia is already under severe sanctions from the US, including energy import bans, financial punishments and export restrictions.

Mr Trump said on his Truth Social website: "I'm not looking to hurt Russia.

"I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin."

"All of that being said, I'm going to do Russia, whose economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big favour," he said.

UK should ‘only’ host Trump visit if he ‘delivers’ on Ukraine says Sir Ed Davey

"Settle now, and stop this ridiculous war," he wrote, adding that the war is "only going to get worse".

"If we don't make a 'deal' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," he said.

He added: "We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better."

"It's time to make a deal. No more lives should be lost."

A Russian official responded to Mr Trump's comments later.

"It's not merely the question of ending the war," Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy envoy to the United Nations, told Reuters. "

It's first and foremost the question of addressing root causes of Ukrainian crisis.

"So we have to see what does the 'deal' mean in President Trump's understanding."

It comes as President Trump claimed that almost one million Russian soldiers and 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the start of the war.

Russian forces are attempting to capture as much land as possible ahead of Trump coming to power - and the possibility of a ceasefire in the region.

President Trump thinks FAA diversity hiring has hurt air safety

Britain is said to be in talks to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine if a ceasefire deal with Russia is reached.

Keir Starmer is believed to have discussed the idea of deploying the army to the war-torn country with French president Emmanuel Macron during a recent visit to the UK.

But there is still more work to be done if any deal is to be reached, the Telegraph reported.

"There are challenges over what we could support, what would we want to support, and the broader question about the threat that those troops may be under and whether that is escalatory," a civil service source said.

Macron has been a key champion of sending a peacekeeping force to maintain the terms of any deal with Russia.

He has already discussed the idea with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president.