Saturday, 31/01/2026   
   Beirut 19:21

Russia Intensifies Air Strikes as Ukraine Targets Drone Command Centers

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - JANUARY 31: Ukrainian soldiers from the 93rd Brigade with a quad bike preparing to rotate in the direction of Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russia has escalated its aerial attacks across Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces have struck multiple Russian drone command centers, Kyiv reported Saturday.

Ukrainian authorities in Donetsk said two people were killed and several others injured in Russian shelling of territory under their control. In Kherson, Russian strikes similarly killed two civilians.

The Ukrainian military reported that Russian drone attacks damaged 13 Ukrainian sites, destroying 20 unmanned aerial vehicles in the process.

Ukrainian Forces Respond

According to the Ukrainian army, its forces shot down 64 Russian drones across various regions and engaged in 204 combat incidents over the past 24 hours, amid intensified Russian air assaults along multiple fronts.

Ukrainian troops targeted four drone command centers, including a facility in Russia’s Bryansk region and two sites housing Russian forces, while repelling heavy attacks on the northern Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Donetsk fronts.

Russia Ukraine
KHERSON, UKRAINE – JANUARY 30: A house stands heavily damaged by Russian shelling on January 30, 2026 in Kherson, Ukraine. The Russian military continues to target civilian objects and civilians in Kherson during ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine. (Photo by Olexandr Kornyakov/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC”/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russian Military Losses

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian military casualties since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, have reached 1,239,000, including 880 killed or wounded in the last 24 hours alone. The statement was published on the General Staff’s Facebook page and cited by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.

No Formal Ceasefire, Diplomatic Context

Earlier, Russia reportedly agreed to a temporary halt in airstrikes on Kyiv at the request of US President Donald Trump, effective until February 1, amid a wave of severe winter weather. Ukraine indicated it was prepared to reciprocate as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, stressed Saturday that no official ceasefire exists and noted that Russian forces have shifted focus to attacking Ukrainian supply lines.

The Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin received a personal request from Trump to pause strikes on Kyiv to create “favorable conditions” for peace negotiations.