KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UKRAINE – FEBRUARY 10: An 82-year-old woman remembers the explosion in which her … [+] house was damaged after a Russian shelling in the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka on February 10, 2025. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,083.
Donetsk region. Late evening on Feb. 9, Russian forces dropped a glide bomb on the frontline city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. The attack targeted a densely populated residential area and resulted in nine casualties, including one death.
Zaporizhzhia region. A 29-year-old man was killed in a Russian attack on the village of Tavriiyske in southern Ukraine on Feb. 10, according to the regional governor. Russian forces struck the area with glide bombs, causing widespread destruction to private homes and non-residential buildings.
On Feb. 7 Ukrainian forces reportedly downed a Russian glide bomb near the city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional capital. Glide bombs, which are launched from aircraft and have a shorter range than missiles, are notoriously difficult to intercept due to their high speed and heavy iron construction. Over the past week alone, Russia launched 760 of these guided bombs, while the U.N. reported that such attacks resulted in 360 Ukrainian civilian deaths in 2024, marking a significant increase in casualties compared to the previous year.
In a recent New York Post interview, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that he had discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump asserted that, in his view, Putin is genuinely troubled by the human cost of the war, claiming that the Kremlin leader “wants to see people stop dying.” While refraining from disclosing the frequency of his conversations with Putin, Trump said he had a plan for bringing the war to a swift end; he’s called the situation in Ukraine “horrible” and stressed the urgency of halting the violence. He also proposed initiating direct talks with all relevant parties, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the aim of brokering a resolution.
In addition, Trump discussed a potential $500 million agreement with Ukraine, focusing on securing access to the country’s vast resources, including rare-earth minerals and gas, in exchange for security guarantees as part of any peace deal. This comes amid reports that the new U.S. administration reached out to Moscow, urging the Russian president not to escalate the conflict.
Ukraine has introduced a new one-year military contract aimed at recruiting individuals aged 18 to 24 to voluntarily enlist in the Armed Forces. This initiative is part of Ukraine’s efforts to reform military service, while continuing to resist international calls, notably from U.S. officials, to lower the conscription age to 18. President Zelenskyy and other officials have emphasized that the nation’s strategic priority should be focused on enhancing its weaponry rather than expanding troop numbers.
Although the specifics of the contract have yet to be released, Zelenskyy revealed that the program will offer recruits significant incentives, including a bonus of $24,000 alongside standard military allowances, guaranteed university admission without exams and free tuition, and zero-interest mortgages.
North Korea is leveraging the war in Ukraine to test and refine its military capabilities analysts say, with Russia reportedly providing drone and missile technologies in exchange for the troops Pyongyang has deployed in the Kursk region. Moscow has reportedly agreed to assist Pyongyang in the development and mass-production of drones as part of this arrangement, though it remains cautious about supporting North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, wary of straining relations with the U.S. and China. Kyiv reported that thousands of North Korean soldiers have re-entered combat after a brief withdrawal, while analysts note a marked improvement in the accuracy of North Korean ballistic missiles used by Russia since December.
Ukraine’s international reserves declined by $800 million in January, dropping to $43 billion due to government debt repayments that outpaced international aid inflows. At the same time, consumer inflation surged by 1.2% month-on-month, driving the annual rate to 12.9%. Faster price growth is being attributed to a mix of temporary factors, such as the summer droughts, record budgetary spending in December 2024, and more persistent pressure from rising production costs exacerbated by energy shortages caused by Russian attacks.
Culture Front. On Feb. 8, the band Ziferblat was selected to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in May. The band triumphed over nine other finalists in Ukraine’s national competition with their song “Bird of Pray,” scoring 19 out of 20 possible points in jury and public voting. This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland, with Ukraine scheduled to perform in the first semi-final on May 13; the grand final will be held on May 17. Ukraine is the only country that has qualified for the Eurovision final every year it has participated; it has won the continent’s largest song contest three times since it began competing in 2003.
The 2025 Invictus Games, an international athletic event for injured military personnel, opened in Vancouver, Canada on Feb. 8, with Ukraine making its fifth appearance. The Ukrainian team, comprised of 35 injured or ill military veterans, began its campaign with a 12-6 victory over Colombia in wheelchair basketball. Competing across 11 disciplines, including swimming, volleyball, and newly introduced winter sports, Ukraine aims to build on its record-breaking 34-medal performance last year. Running through Feb. 16, the Invictus Games brings together 550 athletes from 25 nations, celebrating resilience and the power of sport in rehabilitation.
New York’s LaMaMa Experimental Theatre Club presented a docu play — In Through The Doorway Out — an original production by Teens Ukraine Theatre for Ukrainian young adult refugees. The play, directed by Anya Zicer and Dima Koan, was performed by Ukrainian teens and a guest star, Ukrainian actress Sia Rovinska, also living in New York in exile, in early February. A compilation of heartbreaking personal stories written by the actors themselves — exposes the struggles of young people who were forced to leave Ukraine after the Russian full-scale invasion, now finding themselves navigating a complex world of refugee life, a mixture of attempts to build their future in the US, and their guilt about leaving their families and friends behind in the war-torn home country.
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani