“A Russian missile strike on a residential building in Kramatorsk killed at least two people and injured seven in the late evening of Feb. 1, Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported.

According to Kyrylenko, more people likely remain under the rubble of the apartment building located in central Kramatorsk.

Andriy Yermak, deputy head of the President's Office, wrote after the attack that "the Russian criminal regime targeting civilian people in Ukraine must be severely punished."

Earlier on Feb. 1, Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko reported that first responders were working at the site following the attack.

Photos that emerged on Telegram channels shortly after the strike showed that it caused severe destruction to the apartment building. Telegram channels reported that two of the building's entrances were destroyed, and people were heard shouting from under the rubble.

Russia has been relentlessly attacking civilian infrastructure and residential buildings across Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.”-via Kyiv Independent

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“Russia is violating a key nuclear arms control agreement with the United States and continuing to refuse to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday.

"Russia is not complying with its obligation under the New START Treaty to facilitate inspection activities on its territory. Russia's refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control," the spokesperson said in statement.

"Russia has also failed to comply with the New START Treaty obligation to convene a session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission in accordance with the treaty-mandated timeline," the spokesperson added.

Under the New START treaty — the only agreement left regulating the world's two largest nuclear arsenals — Washington and Moscow are permitted to conduct inspections of each other's weapons sites, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, inspections have been halted since 2020.

A session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission on the treaty was slated to meet in Egypt in late November but was abruptly called off. The US has blamed Russia for this postponement, with a State Department spokesperson saying the decision was made "unilaterally" by Russia.

The treaty puts limits on the number of deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons that both the US and Russia can have. It was last extended in early 2021 for five years, meaning the two sides will soon need to begin negotiating on another arms control agreement.

The State Department says Russia can return to full compliance, if they "allow inspection activities on its territory, just as it did for years under the New START Treaty" and also scheduling a session of the commission.

On Monday, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the last remaining element of the bilateral nuclear arms control treaty with the United States could expire in three years without a replacement.

Asked if Moscow could envisage there being no nuclear arms control agreement between the two nations when the extension of the 2011 New START Treaty comes to an end after 2026, Ryabkov told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Monday: "This is a very possible scenario."

The statement comes as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin in December acknowledged that the conflict is “going to take a while,” as he also warned of the “increasing” threat of nuclear war. And without categorically ruling out the first use of nuclear weapons, Putin said he viewed the Russian nuclear arsenal as a deterrent rather than a provocation.”-via CNN

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“Italy's upcoming package of military aid to Ukraine will “probably” include “weapons of defense against Russian missile attack," Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told CNN on Wednesday.

Crosetto stressed that Italy was committed to fulfilling Ukraine’s requests for weapons to shore up its defenses, but declined to offer any specifics. The defense minister also said that any decision on air defenses would be taken in conjunction with Paris.

The Italian government is working on the sixth package of military support to the war-torn country, a press office of the Italian Ministry of Defense told CNN.

Italy has so far approved five military support packages for Ukraine's defense, including both lethal and nonlethal equipment, based on the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Italy contributes approximately 390 million euros to the assistance measures in favor of Ukraine provided for by the European Peace Facility, for a total of 3 billion euros.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Tuesday that France will send an additional 12 Caesar howitzers to Ukraine on top of the 18 howitzers Paris has already delivered to Kyiv.

Speaking at a news conference in Paris alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov, Lecornu said that Denmark has also committed to giving 19 French-made howitzers to Ukraine.

The French minister said another priority was the training of Ukrainian troops and that 2,000 of them would be trained in France by the summer.”-via CNN

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“A Russian attack on the village of Yeline in northern Ukrainian Chernihiv Oblast killed four people and injured one on Feb. 1, according to the oblast governor, Viacheslav Chaus.

The official said that a 120mm mine hit a cellar of a private house. The wounded person was hospitalized, he added.

According to Ukraine’s Nothern Operational Command, Russian troops shelled the area of Yeline village with mortars 14 times in the afternoon of Feb. 1,”-via Kyiv Independent

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“At least 5,990 civilians, including 200 children, are still living in the front-line city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, local law enforcement reported.

“Despite the damaged police department, the regular unit, investigative and operational teams, and “White Angels” (evacuation group) continue to work in the city 24/7,” the statement reads. Russian regular forces, along with Kremlin-controlled private mercenary Wager Group, have been attempting to capture Bakhmut for months as Russia tries to consolidate its grip over the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, half of which it currently controls.