Exclusives
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Enter the "gray zone": Russia is already at war with Europe. Germany's wargame missed it. The Baltics called the exercise "insulting." The wargame ignored their preparation—and the war Russia is already waging. |
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The Ukrainian gun 'bot could see at night. Its Russian foe couldn't. Guess who won.. In a nighttime clash with a lonely Russian trooper, a gun-armed Ukrainian ground robot had the upper hand |
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Kyiv robbed Pokrovsk to save Zaporizhzhia. The gamble is paying off. When Ukrainian forces fell back a short distance north of Pokrovsk recently, it was the result of a deliberate choice in Kyiv: to prioritize a counteroffensive farther south. |
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Why is the EU asking Ukraine to repair a pipeline it plans to shut down?. The Commission's own roadmap commits to ending Russian crude imports by 2027. |
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Why Ukraine keeps losing African allies—and what Russia and China built while no one watched. While Kyiv opens embassies, Moscow opens churches, and Beijing opens markets. |
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Ben Hodges: stop treating Russian sabotage like a crime scene. Former US Army Europe commander Ben Hodges on why Europe keeps treating Russian sabotage like a crime scene |
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Hungary will survive without Russian oil—but Orbán's regime will not. The money trail from Moscow to MOL to Brussels explains why |
Military
S-300VM "Antey-2500" destroyed in Mariupol: Ukraine demonstrates capability against next-gen Russian air defenses. Operations on 17–18 February disrupted Russian drone workshops.
Intelligence and technology
Occupied Crimea becomes Russia's UAV boot camp—schoolchildren groomed for drone war against Ukraine. Moscow-installed authorities claim Crimea runs the only complete UAV training pipeline on occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine strengthens nighttime capabilities: MT-GEKKO-PRO monoculars that can spot vehicles up to 2 kilometers pass combat trials. The Ministry of Defense has cleared the MT-GEKKO-PRO-40 and PRO-50 for combat, with optics capable of detecting personnel over 400 meters.
Almost all Russian coordination relied on illicit Starlink: Ukraine turns terminals outage into multiple front-line victories in two regions. Satellite disruption caused temporary Russia's disorganization, allowing Kyiv's defenders to push Russians back from fortified positions and disrupt planned offensives.
"Painful but this is war": Ukraine weighs radical decision against Russian FPVs dropped from Shaheds and controlled via LTE. One adviser to the Defence Ministry warns that curbing bulk SIM sales could narrow the enemy's exploitation of Ukrainian mobile networks.
Sweden's intelligence name Russia main military threat as drone incursions and sabotage mount. Two Nordic intelligence services in two weeks have reached the same conclusion: Russia is the Baltic region's most serious military threat.
International
"Beyond any morality": Ukraine demands IOC probe over Russian carrying Team Ukraine sign. Ukraine's MFA says the decision to allow a Russian citizen to represent Team Ukraine during the opening ceremony crosses ethical red lines and violates Olympic principles.
Slovakia can't legally cut power to Ukraine under EU rules—any blackout move would break ENTSO-E deal. While ENTSO-E rules block legal cutoffs, experts warn Bratislava could still attempt political pressure that plays into Russia's strategy of energy blackmail.
Russia to compete under national flag at Paralympics for first time since 2014. The International Paralympic Committee has awarded six slots to Russia and four to Belarus at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, confirming that both countries' athletes will compete under their national flags for the first time since bans were imposed in 2016 and 2022.
UN development programme approves $230 million in emergency energy equipment for Ukraine in 2026.
Washington promised missile licenses, then walked back — now Europe is scrambling to arm itself, Zelenskyy says. Germany has run out of air defense missiles to give Ukraine. The US declined to license Patriot missile production in Europe when Ukraine proposed it years ago. Zelenskyy said
Political and legal developments
Peace theater in Geneva: Putin's top negotiator once again lectures Ukrainians on "history" during talks in Switzerland – source. Analysts say Medinsky's role is not to negotiate but to provoke walkouts, allowing Moscow to later blame Ukraine and partners for a "failed" process.
Ukraine in exchange for money: US-Russia deal revenues could reach only $340 billion, far short of claimed $12 trillion. Even with sanctions lifted, assessments show Russian income streams would be unstable and insufficient to meet Kremlin claims.
Geneva talks yield military progress but political deadlock, Zelenskyy says. Two days of trilateral talks in Geneva produced measurable progress on military issues but left the political track unresolved, President Zelenskyy told journalists after a briefing from Ukraine's negotiating team on 18 February.
Geneva talks hit impasse over Medinsky's demands as Witkoff claims "meaningful progress". The political track of US-brokered trilateral negotiations stalled on 17 February after Russia swapped its delegation chief for a Kremlin propagandist.
Read our earlier daily review here.
