A Russian missile strike on a residential building in central Ukraine has left at least 14 people dead, including two children, Ukrainian emergency services confirmed on Sunday. The attack, which occurred in the city of Poltava early Saturday morning, was one of several strikes across Ukraine over the weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling it “another terrorist crime” by Russia. Despite Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his promises to broker a quick ceasefire, there has been no reduction in hostilities. Ukraine’s military continues to struggle against Russian forces on the eastern frontlines, facing superior manpower and resources.

Families Among the Victims

Among those killed in Poltava was Olena Yavorska, her husband Dmytro, and their 9-year-old daughter Sofia. The family resided on the second floor of the destroyed building, according to Olena’s colleague, Volodymyr Popereshniuk, co-owner of the Ukrainian logistics company Nova Poshta, where she worked.

“Russia killed our colleague and her family,” Popereshniuk wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “Olena was a biology teacher by education, but in 2015 she joined Nova Poshta.”

Emergency services have been working at the scene, with rescue operations ongoing. Nearly 200 people are receiving assistance, including psychological support, Ukraine’s national police department reported.

Ukraine and Russia Trade Blame Over Boarding School Strike

As the war rages on, Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of responsibility for a deadly strike on a former boarding school in Sudzha, a city in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have held territory since launching an incursion last summer.

Ukraine’s military claims that Russia bombed the school using a guided aerial bomb, killing at least four people who were sheltering in the building and preparing to evacuate. Ukrainian officials said 84 people were rescued, while four others remain in serious condition.

Conversely, Russia’s Ministry of Defence has blamed Ukraine for the attack, claiming that missiles were launched from Ukraine’s Sumy region. Russian officials labeled the incident a “war crime” and accused Ukraine of staging the attack to divert international attention from alleged Ukrainian atrocities in another part of the Kursk region.

Escalating Aerial Assaults

The latest missile strikes come amid intensified aerial attacks. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian forces launched 55 drones overnight, targeting multiple regions, including the capital Kyiv. Ukrainian air defenses successfully downed 40 of them, though the regions of Kharkiv and Sumy sustained damage.

Additionally, Ukrainian energy infrastructure was hit in multiple areas overnight on February 1, further straining the country’s power supply amid the ongoing war.

With no immediate signs of de-escalation, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues to exact a devastating toll on civilians, as both sides engage in an unrelenting battle for territorial control.

Competing narratives have emerged regarding a deadly strike on a boarding school in Sudzha, a city in Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukraine has controlled for the past five months.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the attack, which occurred on Saturday night, killed four people and left four others seriously wounded. Ukrainian forces reportedly rescued 84 people from the rubble, while those in critical condition were transferred to medical facilities in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of targeting the school, which he said was sheltering civilians who were preparing to evacuate.

However, Russia’s Ministry of Defence countered this claim, stating that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the strike. According to Moscow, missiles were launched from Ukraine’s Sumy region, targeting the school in Sudzha. The conflicting accounts have further escalated tensions as both sides continue to trade blame over attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Rising Casualties in Ukraine

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the death toll from a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Poltava rose to 12, including two children. The Ukrainian State Emergency Service confirmed on Sunday that 17 others were injured in the attack on the five-story residential building.

Additionally, Russia launched a massive drone assault on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, with Ukrainian officials reporting that 55 drones were sent across the country. Ukraine’s Air Force claimed to have destroyed 40 of them, while 13 others were likely jammed electronically. Two civilians were wounded in a drone strike in the Kharkiv region, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Drone Strikes Hit Russia

Russia also reported overnight drone attacks, with its Defence Ministry stating that five Ukrainian drones were intercepted in five western regions. Three drones were shot down over the Kursk region, while one each was destroyed over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions.

In Belgorod, a man was killed in a drone strike, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed. The escalating drone warfare has added another layer of intensity to the ongoing conflict, with both sides increasingly relying on aerial assaults to strike targets beyond the immediate frontlines.

As hostilities continue, the competing claims over the Sudzha boarding school attack highlight the fog of war that continues to obscure the realities of the battlefield, leaving civilians trapped in the crossfire of an unrelenting conflict.