A miners’ bus destroyed by a Russian drone strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, February 1, 2026

Sunday’s Coverage: Witkoff Declares “Productive and Constructive Meetings” with Kremlin’s Dmitriev

UPDATE 0611 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says more than 500 homes remain without heating in Kyiv amid waves of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

The situation was compounded on Saturday by a “cascade shutdown” in Ukraine’s power grid, following disruptions to transmission lines between Romania and Moldova and between the west and center of the country.

Zelensky chided officials about the “extremely difficult” situation in temperatures dipping below -20C (-4F).

“This certainly cannot be considered normal for a city when, for more than a week now, hundreds of buildings have been without heat every day,” Zelensky said. “Whether there are strikes or not, hundreds of buildings in Kyiv are still without heating. This means that the work being done in the city is not enough.”

The President said additional support and heating points have been set up across the capital, with a hotline and government contact center have been set up to connect residents to needed services.

But he criticized, “The city should at least work with government agencies more quickly on this. I urge you so that people can receive timely assistance and accurate information.”

About an hour later, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that 244 buildings in Kyiv were without heat.

“Public utilities and energy companies continue to work and restore heating in the buildings of Kyiv residents,” he declared.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: At least 12 miners have been murdered and 16 injured by a Russian drone attack on a bus in south-central Ukraine.

Fourteen of the injured victims are in hospital, with seven in critical condition.

The Russians targeted the mines of Ukraine’s largest private energy firm DTEK near the city of Pavlohrad. The drone hit a service bus in the town of Ternivka as it was transporting miners after their shift.

A group of drones controlled online were flying along the road when the virtual pilot of the first drone chose to attack the bus, said Ukraine Defense Ministry official Serhii Beskrestnov said. When the drone landed near the vehicle, the driver lost control and crashed into a fence.

Injured people began to leave the bus, helping each other. At this time, the operator of the second Shahed drone saw people and directed the drone directly at the civilians.

Operators from Russian territory 100% saw and recognized the target as civilian, saw that it was not military, and made a conscious decision to attack.

The Act of “A Terrorist State”

Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said, “The service bus was carrying mine workers — civilians who were not involved in the combat. This is yet another brutal attack with casualties.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted:

No military target — just hardworking men returning to their families after their shifts. Truly horrific. Russia once again proves its status of a terrorist state.

Russian murderers responsible for this and other atrocities must face justice. Accountability is essential for a just peace.

And Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation, “Today’s Russian drone strike on an ordinary bus carrying miners in the Dnipro region is a telling crime that yet again shows that Russia bears responsibility for the escalation. Evil must be stopped.”