Russian troops attack Izium with ballistic missile, killing six and injuring 56 people

The Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported that on February 5, 2025, the death toll from a Russian missile attack on an administrative building in the city of Izium in the Kharkiv Oblast has risen to six, with the death in hospital of a man who was injured in the bombardment.

It noted that a further 56 people, including three children, were injured or suffered acute stress reactions due to that attack.

“A 61-year-old man who was taken to hospital in a serious condition after the enemy attack has died in hospital,” the statement of the office reads.

Early reports indicate that the Iskander-M ballistic missile that hit the centre of Izium on February 4 was launched from a military training ground in Russia’s Rostov Oblast.

Law enforcers are currently working to identify the senior Russian military and political leadership who ordered the missile strike, as well as the direct perpetrators of the crime. The investigation continues.

According to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, the Russian army personnel struck the central part of the city. It is noted that the Russians partially destroyed administrative buildings and damaged a five-storey building.

ZMINA consistently reports on the ongoing international crimes in the Kharkiv Oblast.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that other countries’ failure to comply with sanctions against Russia should be treated as participation in the war against Ukraine.

Earlier, Bohdan Bernatskyy, a member of the Sanctions Policy Working Group of the Crimean Platform Expert Network, revealed at the Third Parliamentary Summit in Latvia that over 1,300 Russian military companies and 2 million industry workers continue operating, many without international restrictions.

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to implement a ceasefire in Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated in an interview for Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that Europeans must set their own terms for potential negotiations.

According to the minister, Russians are attempting to convince the West of the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government.

Lipavský asserted that European countries must compel Putin to accept Zelenskyy as the president of a sovereign nation for negotiations, making this a condition for talks. He noted that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, along with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and certain propagandists, claim they do not want to negotiate with Ukraine, preferring to speak with leaders like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz or the US president, but not with Ukrainians.

Lipavský highlighted that this is a trap Russia is setting for its opponents, aiming to make them believe that the Ukrainian authorities are incapable of negotiating, and stressed the importance of not falling into this trap.

Previously, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) concluded that the Russian military command is demonstrating that it is prepared to engage in operations that could last six to nine months, likely acting on the assumption or direct knowledge that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war in Ukraine in the near future. 

The report of the ISW notes that Russian forces have been gradually working to push Ukrainian troops from the east bank of the Oskil River since the winter of 2023-2024. The encirclement of Kupyansk will almost certainly be a months-long effort that will require Russian forces to close a gap of 25-30 kilometres, as well as ford the Oskil River and maintain its logistical support, capturing small settlements that come their way.

Analysts assume that the Russian command does not seem to be concerned about the speed or consistency of its advance in Ukraine, probably because it believes that the war will continue until Russia defeats Ukraine militarily.

Ukraine urges the international community to unite to restore global security under the UN Charter and strengthen sanctions against Russia to enforce compliance with international law. Following Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, Ukraine has pursued the liberation of its territories within its internationally recognized 1991 borders while developing comprehensive reintegration strategies and policies for all liberated areas.

Previously, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine outlined a timeline for the second Peace Summit.