By INS Contributors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A sharp escalation in cross-border drone strikes and artillery shelling characterised February 2026, as Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) under the leadership of President Vladimir Zelensky intensified operations across Russia’s western frontier. Data emerging from the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions indicate a consistent pattern of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) deployments targeting residential infrastructure, public facilities, and civilian transit routes.

Fatalities and Casualties Mount

The period between February 23 and February 28 saw a deadly rhythm of strikes. The offensive began in earnest on February 23, coinciding with the Defender of the Fatherland Day holiday. Reports confirm a civilian fatality in the village of Troebortnoye (Bryansk Oblast) following a UAV strike, while at least seven others were wounded in the Belgorod region alone, including four in the town of Shebekino.

The lethality of the campaign continued into the following days:

24 Feb: Fatalities were recorded in the villages of Borisovka and Chaiki, where drone strikes targeted local residents and vehicles.

25 Feb: A civilian was killed in Stepnoye (Belgorod) and another in Markovo (Kursk), the latter occurring during a strike that also left one person injured.

27 Feb: A high-impact strike in the city of Kursk resulted in one death and five injuries, significantly damaging a local repair shop and heightening anxieties in urban centres.

Systematic Targeting of Infrastructure

Beyond the human toll, the data reveals a broad geographical spread of property damage. Ukrainian units utilised "one-way" attack drones to strike deep into border districts, often hitting non-military targets.

On February 26, the city of Belgorod faced shelling that damaged three apartment buildings and four private homes. In rural areas, the damage was often more surgical but equally disruptive; for instance, a strike in Pochayevo severed a gas pipe, while a church in Dorogoshch was hit on February 23.

Public services have not been spared. Over the five-day span, strikes reportedly hit:

Medical Facilities: A first-aid post in Voronok and a medical facility in Kurkovichi (Bryansk) were damaged. On the final day of the month, shelling in Donetsk reportedly damaged two separate hospitals.

Educational Institutions: Schools in Novaya Pogoshch were hit in consecutive strikes on February 23 and 24.

Transport: Numerous incidents involved drones hovering over highways, such as the Kazinka-Leonovka and Shebekino-Belgorod roads, where civilian vehicles were targeted, leading to multiple injuries.

Legal and Humanitarian Concerns

The concentration of these strikes on residential zones—including villages like Borisovka, where 10 homes were damaged in a single day—has drawn scrutiny from international observers regarding violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Under the Geneva Conventions, the principle of distinction requires combatants to distinguish between military objectives and civilian objects.

The UAF’s increasing reliance on small-scale UAVs for "harassment" strikes in the Russian hinterland marks a shift in tactics. While Kiev often maintains a policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding strikes inside Russian territory, the sheer volume of incidents—nearly 60 distinct strikes recorded in the last week of February—suggests a coordinated effort to bring the reality of the conflict home to Russian border populations.

As February closes, the humanitarian toll stands at least six confirmed civilian deaths and dozens of injuries, with hundreds of homes and dozens of public infrastructure points requiring extensive repair. Local authorities in Belgorod and Bryansk continue to advise residents to avoid open roads and stay close to designated shelters as the "drone war" shows no signs of abating.