Russian forces launched overnight ballistic missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed reports that elections or a referendum on territorial integrity would be announced on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
In Kyiv, a ballistic missile strike damaged a private residence, injuring at least two people, one of whom was hospitalized in serious condition, Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the city's military administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported.
Local authorities reported on February 12 that the overnight attack on the southern city of Odesa damaged civilian and critical infrastructure and injured at least one person.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, ballistic missiles struck the cities of Dnipro and Pavlohrad, damaging residential buildings and cars.
Dnipropetrovsk regional Governnor Oleksandr Hanzha said two young children were wounded in the attack on Dnipro and are receiving medical care.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned the strikes, saying Russia had launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles overnight, targeting the energy system and depriving people of electricity, heating, and water.
"Civilians were injured, including a toddler and a 4-year-old child. No one can close their eyes to Russia's terror. It is happening right now in the middle of 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 said Russian air defense units were repelling the "missile attack," adding debris from the strike ignited a fire at a Defense Ministry facility near the village of Kotluban.
Russian-language Telegram channel ASTRA reported that the attacked military base reportedly stores missiles, adding publicly available data describes it as a large ammunition storage complex.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on an earlier FT report that suggested he could announce a plan for presidential elections and a referendum on February 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
He denied the report, saying February 24 "cannot be used to announce any elections, any elections at all."
"This is a very serious date: four years of war. It's a large number of people who have defended our state and given their lives."
Zelenskyy reiterated he is ready to hold elections in his war-torn country if the United States and other allies can provide the security necessary to ensure the vote can be held safely.
"We can move toward elections when all the relevant security guarantees are in place," he wrote in a post on X.
