Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited a frontline village on February 4, hailing the “warriors” who are fighting there amid reports he is preparing to fire his popular military commander, while Moscow-installed officials said the search-and-rescue effort at the site of a building attack in Russia-occupied Lysychansk has ended, with the death toll set at 28.
"I have the great honor to be here today, to reward you, because you have such a difficult and decisive mission on your shoulders, to repel the enemy and win this war," Zelenskiy told soldiers on February 4 following his visit to Robotyne, a southern village in the Zaporizhzhya region that was one of the few successes by Ukrainian forces during last year’s counteroffensive.
The presidential office released video of Zelenskiy handing out medals to troops of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which led the advance on Robotyne, a village with a prewar population of about 450 people.
SEE ALSO: 'We'll Fight Until We're Dead': With Dwindling Ammunition, Ukrainian Soldiers Defend Their GainsWhile there, Zelenskiy appointed Ivan Federov -- mayor of now-occupied Melitopol who was once abducted by Russia -- as head of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya region.
Fedorov was abducted in March 2022 when he refused to cooperate with Russians troops, triggering local protests and calls by Zelenskiy for his immediate release. He was released five days later.
Zelenskiy faces a growing political storm amid reports he is poised to push out the country’s top military commander, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Polls show that Zaluzhniy is as popular, if not more so, than Zelenskiy, and some experts fear that, were Zelenskiy to oust Zaluzhniy, it would demoralize some of Ukraine's troops and undermine national unity.
There has been no official word from Zelenskiy’s office about his intentions in regard to Zaluzhniy’s position, although numerous media reports have said the president has informed his U.S. allies of an impending move.
In remarks to Italian TV late on February 4, Zelenskiy said, without being specific, that he is considering “replacing a number of state leaders," not only in the military.
"It is a question of the people who are to lead Ukraine," he told told RAI television when asked about reports that he is about to fire Zaluzhniy.
"A reset is necessary. I am talking about a replacement of a number of state leaders, not only in the army sector. I am reflecting on this replacement. It's a question for the entire leadership of the country."
"I have in mind something serious that does not concern a single person but the direction of the country's leadership."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said the search-and-rescue operation at the site of a deadly building attack in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk has been completed.
Rescuers early on February 4 recovered more bodies from the rubble of the building in eastern Ukraine that was hit by apparent artillery fire, bringing the death toll to 28.
The Emergency Situations Ministry said in a post to Telegram that a child was among the bodies recovered from the rubble of the building, which it said housed a bakery and a restaurant. Another 10 people were rescued.
Moscow-imposed officials in the Luhansk region, which is nearly entirely controlled by Russia, initially blamed a Ukrainian drone strike for the attack, but later shifted explanations, asserting it was actually Ukrainian artillery. The claim could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian officials have made no comment on the incident.
Russia took control of Lysychansk in July 2022 after months of fierce fighting.
Nearly two years into Russia’s mass invasion of Ukraine, the battlefield along the nearly 1,200-kilometer front line stretching from northeast Ukraine to the south-central region of Kherson has largely frozen. After an unsuccessful counteroffensive last fall, Ukrainian troops have turned to rebuilding their forces, and shoring up defenses.
Russia, for its part, has continued to push forward in several, localized offensives: near Kupyansk in the north, and around the industrial city of Avdiyivka, to the south.
Both sides have also launched longer-range attacks this winter, using long-distance precision artillery, drones, and air-launched cruise missiles.
Ukraine has increasingly used its drone arsenal to target industrial sites within Russia itself. On February 3, an apparent Ukrainian drone strike hit one of the largest oil refineries in Volgograd, about 400 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border.
Firefighters put out the blaze after several hours, and it was unclear the extent of the damage at the refinery, which is owned by Lukoil, and is one of the largest in Russia. It produces gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, and fuel for ships.
In Ukraine’s Sumy region, the military administration there said Russian forces had shelled the region in 16 separate attacks the previous day.