Russia is planning to launch more “massive strikes” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of peace negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
The Ukrainian president said the attacks, revealed to him by intelligence reports, would make it more difficult to reach an agreement on ending the war.
“Russia cannot resist the temptation of the final days of winter cold and wants to strike Ukrainians painfully,” he said on Monday night. “Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States.”
Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington delegates are set to meet for a third round of talks, following meetings in Abu Dhabi last month.
It comes as Ukraine launched a huge overnight air attack on Russia, with Russian air defences forced to down 345 drones since Sunday morning.
The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said it suffered the “most powerful and massive attack” experienced by any Russian region during the war.
In its morning briefing, Peskov said the talks will cover the “main issues” preventing a peace deal, including territory.
Key Points
- Russia to launch more strikes ahead of peace talks, says Zelensky
- Kremlin rejects accusations it poisoned Navalny with dart frog poison
- Ukraine launches 'most powerful and massive' attack on Russia's Bryansk region
- Russia downs 345 Ukrainian drones after heavy attack
- Ukraine's ex-energy minister arrested after he tries to leave country
Russia to launch more strikes ahead of peace talks, says Zelensky
03:59 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is planning a fresh round of attacks on Ukraine’s energy targets ahead of peace negotiations beginning on Tuesday.
Zelensky said new strikes would make it more difficult to reach an agreement.
In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian president said: “Intelligence reports show that Russia is preparing further massive strikes against energy infrastructure so it is necessary to ensure that all air defence systems are properly configured.
“Russia cannot resist the temptation of the final days of winter cold and wants to strike Ukrainians painfully,” he said. “Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States.”
The Ukrainian delegation has departed for Geneva where the third round of US-brokered peace talks will be held.
Putin increasingly reliant on foreign fighters to fight Ukraine war, says Healey
03:49 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign fighters to fight his war in Ukraine, defence secretary John Healey said.
Russia is facing more losses than it can replace with mobilising more troops, he said, speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The mounting losses are forcing Russia to depend more on thousands of foreign fighters, including recruits from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Cuba, Nigeria and Senegal, he said.
They are "often recruited under false pretences and press-ganged under pressure without necessarily realising that they’re destined for the Russian meat machine on the front line of Ukraine,” Healey said.
His remarks come after Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov told his European counterparts that Kyiv was able to inflict more Russian casualties than the Kremlin was able to recruit over the last two months.
Healey added that North Korean troops committed to fighting for Russia are estimated to be around 17,000.
"Putin likes to give the impression that they’re making relentless and inevitable progress but he’s weaker than he’s been and more reliant than he’s been on foreign fighters,” Healey said.
Ukraine sanctions 10 Russian athletes for supporting Putin's war
03:39 , Arpan RaiUkraine has sanctioned at least 10 Russian athletes who have actively supported Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The sanctions will apply to sports figures who visited occupied Ukrainian territories, publicly defended Russia’s invasion and occupation, raised funds for Russian forces, or organised events for Ukrainian children forcibly abducted by Russia, the presidential office said.
“This Ukrainian sanctions package should be a signal to others around the world – a signal that one cannot simply turn a blind eye to support for aggression,” Zelensky said.
“When Ukrainians at the Olympics are forbidden to even mention the victims of Russian aggression, that is clearly a global rollback of justice. We will restore justice,” he added.
Ukrainian territory remains key talking point at Geneva peace talks
03:21 , Arpan RaiRepresentatives of Ukraine and Russia are set to meet in Geneva in a few hours' time for a fresh round of US-mediated peace talks that the Kremlin says are likely to focus on land, the main sticking point.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20 per cent of the eastern region of Donetsk that Moscow has failed to capture – something Kyiv refuses to do.
“This time, the idea is to discuss a broader range of issues, including, in fact, the main ones. The main issues concern both the territories and everything else related to the demands we have put forward," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
The venue has switched to the Swiss lakeside city after Abu Dhabi hosted two rounds of talks that both sides described as constructive but which failed to reach any major breakthrough.
Ukraine makes big gains as Putin’s troops suffer from Starlink shutdown
03:11 , Arpan RaiUkrainian soldiers have been able to make dramatic battlefield gains in the war-hit country’s east after Russian troops lost access to Starlink satellite internet, a US-based think tank said.
Ukrainian forces managed to recapture 201 sq km (78 sq miles) from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday, equivalent to the Russian gains for the entire month of December, the ISW’s data showed.
This is the most land retaken by Kyiv’s forces in such a short period since a June 2023 counteroffensive. The territory secured by Ukraine is mostly to the east of Zaporizhzhia city, where Russian troops have made significant progress since mid-2025.
“These Ukrainian counterattacks are likely leveraging the recent block on Russian forces’ access to Starlink, which Russian milbloggers (military bloggers) have claimed is causing communications and command and control issues on the battlefield,” the ISW said.
Starlink internet terminals used by Russian troops in Ukraine were deactivated earlier this month, dealing what one official said was a big setback for Moscow that had disrupted assault operations.
Russian forces have made unauthorised use of thousands of satellite-based Starlink internet connections for secure communications since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv says.
Trump pressures Ukraine ahead of peace talks in Geneva
02:51 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to reach a deal with Russia ahead of the US-brokered talks in Geneva today.
“It’s easy… Ukraine better come to the table, fast,” the US president said, speaking to the reporters onboard Air Force One while en route to Washington.
Officials in Kyiv confirmed a Ukrainian delegation was heading to Geneva on Monday for another round of talks with Russian officials, ahead of next week's fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Trump’s remarks did not call for action from the Russian side, which has been seeking Ukraine’s territory and political concessions from Kyiv without budging from its demands.
Moscow wants Ukraine to cede the entirety of the Donbas area, including areas it has failed to capture by force.
Kremlin says territory will be discussed at Geneva talks this week
02:00 , Maira ButtThe Kremlin has said "the main issues" regarding peace in Ukraine, including territory, would be discussed in peace talks due to be held in Geneva this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and special envoy Kirill Dmitriev would take part in the talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Kremlin rejects accusations it poisoned Navalny with dart frog poison
01:00 , Maira ButtThe Kremlin has rejected accusations from five European countries that the Russian state had killed late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny two years ago using toxin from poison dart frogs.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the claims were "not based on anything".
Navalny, who was Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic critic, died in February 2024 aged 47 in a far-flung Arctic prison, a month before Putin was re-elected in a landslide vote which Western nations said was neither free nor fair.
In a joint statement on Saturday, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said that analyses of samples from Navalny's body had "conclusively" confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
Peskov said Moscow took a very negative view of the European allegations.
Hungary and Slovakia ask for Croatia's help to deliver Russian oil
00:01 , Maira ButtHungary and Slovakia have asked Croatia to help to deliver Russian oil, Hungary's foreign minister said on Monday, after disruption to flows via Ukraine.
A Russian attack on the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine on January 27 knocked out flows to Eastern Europe, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha posted a photo on X of firefighters and what he said was Druzhba pipeline infrastructure burning, adding that Hungary had not publicly commented on the incident because Russia was to blame.
Sybiha’s Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijarto rejected Kyiv's assertions, saying that Ukraine had not resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons.
"We request Croatia to enable the transport of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline, as our sanctions exemption provides the possibility to import Russian oil by sea if pipeline deliveries are disrupted," Mr Szijarto wrote on X.
"The security of a country's energy supply must never be an ideological issue. We therefore expect Croatia, unlike Ukraine, not to endanger the oil supply security of Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons."
Russia to launch more strikes ahead of peace talks, says Zelensky
Monday 16 February 2026 23:42 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is planning a fresh round of attacks on Ukraine’s energy targets ahead of peace negotiations beginning on Tuesday.
Zelensky said new strikes would make it more difficult to reach an agreement.
In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian president said: “Intelligence reports show that Russia is preparing further massive strikes against energy infrastructure so it is necessary to ensure that all air defence systems are properly configured.
“Russia cannot resist the temptation of the final days of winter cold and wants to strike Ukrainians painfully,” he said. “Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States.”
The Ukrainian delegation has departed for Geneva where the third round of US-brokered peace talks will be held.
Russia plans new round of strikes ahead of talks, says Zelensky says
Monday 16 February 2026 23:40 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is planning a fresh round of attacks on Ukraine’s energy targets as peace negotiations are set to continue on Tuesday.
Zelensky said new strikes would make it more difficult to reach an agreement.
In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian president said: "Intelligence reports show that Russia is preparing further massive strikes against energy infrastructure so it is necessary to ensure that all air defence systems are properly configured.
"Russia cannot resist the temptation of the final days of winter cold and wants to strike Ukrainians painfully," he said. "Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States."
The Ukrainian delegation has departed for Geneva where the third round of US-brokered peace talks will be held.
In case you missed it: A critical point for Ukraine – and for Europe
Monday 16 February 2026 23:15 , Maira ButtAlmost four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the ground and in the diplomatic arena has become critical. Our report from Kyiv graphically depicts the plight of so many residents in Ukraine’s capital city, who face nightly Russian air raids, targeting primarily civilian power supplies, in mid-winter. The intensity of the attacks, the damage sustained for want of sufficient air defence, and the winter temperatures have all been markedly worse than in previous years.
The human aspect, as ever, is the most poignant: nursery-age children who have learned to distinguish outgoing from incoming fire; a parliamentarian relieved that his family lacked the money to buy a flat in an adjacent high-rise that turned out to be more vulnerable than his ground-floor flat in an older building; no hot water, no heating or power, for all but two of 24 hours, all detrimental for wellbeing and morale. If this is what it is like living an MP’s relatively privileged life in Kyiv, the conditions for others, including those living further east, in the actual battle zone, must be many times worse.
Watch: Ukraine warns of renewed Russian exploitation as Kyiv pushes for security guarantees and new sanctions
Monday 16 February 2026 22:15 , Maira ButtIn pictures: Aftermath of Russian strike on Ukraine
Monday 16 February 2026 21:15 , Maira ButtFirefighters work at the site of a railway infrastructure facility hit during overnight Russian drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Odesa, Ukraine on 15 February, 2026.
Zelensky holds 'truly important' meeting with US senators
Monday 16 February 2026 20:15 , Maira ButtPresident Volodymyr Zelensky met with two US senators ahead of ongoing trilateral peace talks. He thanked Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse after the pair met with Ukrainian children that had been returned from Russia.
“During a meeting with Senators Richard Blumenthal @SenBlumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse @SenWhitehouse, I thanked the United States for its strong bipartisan support and work for peace.
“Before our meeting, the senators met with children whom Ukraine managed to return from Russia. Thank you, this is truly important.
“We see no better tools to influence Moscow than pressure. There is an important sanctioning act in the Senate right now, and we expect it to work.”
He added: “I also informed them about the constant Russian strikes on our people and, in particular, on American businesses as well. I
“t is absolutely fair that Russian money should be used to defend against this terror, and we discussed the prospects of utilizing immobilized Russian assets to purchase missiles for the Patriot systems. I thank the President, Congress, and the people of the United States for their support.”
Watch: Sumy emergency services tackle fires as Russia hits residential building
Monday 16 February 2026 19:45 , Alex CroftPoison, a plane crash and falling from a window: How Putin’s critics and rivals have met mysterious ends
Monday 16 February 2026 19:15 , Maira Butthe late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin during his detention in a harsh Arctic penal colony two years ago, the UK and its European allies have concluded.
Analysis of samples conclusively confirmed the presence of Epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not naturally found in Russia, according to a joint statement issued on Saturday.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said all the available evidence pointed to Moscow, which insists it had no role in the opposition leader’s sudden demise in February 2024.
Poison, plane crash and prison: How Putin’s critics have met mysterious ends
Ukraine’s civilian casualties have surged 26 per cent in the last year as Trump talked about peace
Monday 16 February 2026 18:45 , Maira ButtUkraine’s civilian casualties increased by 26 per cent during 2025, according to a monitoring group, as Vladimir Putin ramped up his bombing campaign while peace talks hit endless stumbling blocks.
Figures from NGO Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) state there were 14,775 Ukrainian casualties last year, up from 11,765 in 2024. The 2025 figures include 2,250 deaths – up 11 per cent from the previous year’s 2,027 – and 12,525 injuries, up 28 per cent.
The average number of casualties-per-incident also rose significantly to 4.8, a 33 per cent jump from 2024, with researchers suggesting Russian attacks are being designed to cause maximum civilian harm.
At the same time, during his first year back in office, US president Donald Trump said he wanted to end the war by bringing the warring sides together.
Ukraine’s civilian casualties have surged 26 per cent as Trump talked about peace
Full story: Ukraine’s ex-energy minister arrested while attempting to leave country
Monday 16 February 2026 18:15 , Maira ButtUkraine's anti-corruption agency accused an ex-energy minister on Monday of laundering millions of dollars of kickbacks in a corruption case that has shaken the wartime government, a day after he was detained trying to leave the country.
Herman Halushchenko, who served as energy minister from 2021-2025 and then briefly as justice minister until he resigned over the scandal last year, became one of the most senior officials detained in the ‘Midas’ case, over an alleged $100m (£73.5m) kickback scheme at the state nuclear company.
The case has ensnared senior officials and members of Ukraine's business elite – including a former close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from his pre-political media career – and caused concern among Kyiv's Western allies.
Ukraine’s ex-energy minister arrested while attempting to leave country
PM 'weighs hiking defence spending' to meet emerging threats
Monday 16 February 2026 17:49 , Alex CroftSir Keir Starmer is weighing a increase in defence spending, the BBC reported today, as a major security conference concluded in Munich.
The prime minister’s aides told the broadcaster that he is considering bringing forward spending targets, though no decision has yet been taken and it remained unclear when a boost could come.
The PM has already promised to bring expenditure to 2.5 per cent of GDP by April 2027, followed by an “ambition” to increase it to 3 per cent in the next parliament.
At the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, he signalled that more spending would be needed to meet emerging challenges.
“To meet the wider threat, it’s clear that we are going to have to spend more, faster,” he told leaders.
Zelensky: 'There must be greater unity in Europe'
Monday 16 February 2026 17:15 , Maira ButtUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Europe needs greater unity as he approaches the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
“I thank the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and his team for supporting our people in times of difficult trials, and especially for the efforts to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression by Russia against Ukraine,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Monday.
“Many important issues were resolved over the past year, and there are plans for this year. I hope we can move very quickly – even faster than last year.
“There must be greater unity within Europe in efforts to hold Russia accountable. During the meeting, we discussed introducing a compensation mechanism. Accountability for crimes is one of the factors of a dignified end to the war.”
EU countries must not hide behind national interest, says German minister
Monday 16 February 2026 16:40 , Alex CroftThe European Union is at a turning point in which countries should not hide behind national interests, German finance minister Lars Klingbeil said in Brussels.
He added that Germany is ready to make compromises, speaking ahead of the meeting of EU finance ministers.
Dispatch from Ukraine | Ukrainian forces boosting defensive line near eastern front
Monday 16 February 2026 16:08 , Alex CroftOur world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Pavlohrad, a city in eastern Ukraine:
Ukrainian forces are building and extending a defensive line of trenches, tank traps and other fortifications across Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk provinces as Russian troops continued to press on the eastern front.
Amid unsuccessful talks brokered by the US with Russia the Ukrainian defensive lines are being strengthened rather than allowing any concession that would hand more of the region invading troops.
Commercial digging machines have been carving zigzag trench lines into the vast fields of the region for years. But now they are being reinforced with minefield and anti armour traps even as the conflict has evolved into stone warfare.
More towns in Ukraine beyond the reach of conventional artillery to target accurately are under attack from medium range drones especially the Russian targets of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk as in Zaporizhzhia in the south.
Russian advances over the last year have been slow and Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said that every km won had been at a cost of over 150,000 Russian casualties.
The reinforced fortress belt along the 800 miles front line is clearly intended to make and further advances even bloodier.
Ukraine’s civilian casualties have surged 26 percent in the last year as Trump talked about peace
Monday 16 February 2026 15:44 , Alex CroftUkraine’s civilian casualties increased by 26 per cent during 2025, according to a monitoring group, as Vladimir Putin ramped up his bombing campaign while peace talks hit endless stumbling blocks.
Figures from NGO Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) state there were 14,775 Ukrainian casualties last year, up from 11,765 in 2024. The 2025 figures include 2,250 deaths - up 11 percent from the previous year’s 2,027 - and 12,525 injuries, up 28 percent from 9,738.
The average number of casualties-per-incident also rose significantly to 4.8, a 33 per cent jump from 2024, with researchers suggesting Russian attacks are being designed to maximise civilian harm.
At the same time, during his first year back in office, US president Donald Trump said he wanted to end the war by bringing the warring sides together.
Read the full report:
Ukraine’s civilian casualties have surged 26 percent as Trump talked about peace
Life growing up in a cold and dark Ukraine under constant Russian attack
Monday 16 February 2026 15:15 , Alex CroftForeign secretary considers more sanctions after Navalny accusations
Monday 16 February 2026 14:45 , Alex CroftNew sanctions against Moscow could follow after Britain and its allies blamed the Kremlin for poisoning Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Cooper hit back at the Russians for dismissing the Navalny report, insisting the accusation was “deeply serious”.
She said: “The statement that we made yesterday shows that we have the evidence.
“We continue to look at co-ordinated action, including increasing sanctions on the Russian regime,” she said.
“As you know, we have been pursuing this as part of our response to the brutal invasion of Ukraine, where we are also coming up to the fourth anniversary of that invasion as well.”
What is dart frog toxin, the poison linked to Alexei Navalny’s death?
Monday 16 February 2026 14:23 , Alex CroftEpibatidine, the highly potent toxin Britain has linked to the death of Alexei Navalny, is reportedly 100 times more powerful than morphine.
This extremely toxic, nicotine-like compound originates from the Epipedobates genus of poison dart frogs, found exclusively in northern South America. Crucially, these amphibians are not indigenous to Russia.
Species such as the brightly coloured Anthony’s poison arrow frog and the Phantasmal poison frog secrete this substance onto their skin. Researchers theorise that the frogs acquire the toxin through their diet, as captive-bred animals lack it, and wild populations exhibit varying levels depending on their habitat.
Read more about the toxin here:
What is dart frog toxin, the poison linked to Alexei Navalny’s death?
North Korea honours families of Ukraine war dead with new housing district
Monday 16 February 2026 13:56 , Alex CroftNorth Korea announced completion of a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, the latest effort by leader Kim Jong Un to honour the war dead.
State media photos showed Kim Jong Un walking through the new street — called Saeppyol Street — and visiting the homes of some of the families with his increasingly prominent daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, as he pledged to repay the "young martyrs" who "sacrificed all to their motherland”.
In recent months, North Korea has intensified propaganda glorifying troops deployed to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine, such as establishing a memorial wall and building a museum. Analysts see it as an effort to bolster internal unity and curb potential public discontent.
Rubio explains why US did not back assessment on Navalny's poisoning
Monday 16 February 2026 13:35 , Alex CroftWhen Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands declared that Russia poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the US did not add its name to the list of countries confirming the analysis.
The report stated that analyses of samples from Navalny's body "conclusively" confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
On being asked why the US did not join the statement, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the assessment "just wasn't our endeavour".
“Those countries came to that conclusion. They coordinated that. We chose - Doesn't mean we disagree with the outcome. We just, it wasn't, our endeavour. Sometimes countries go out and do their thing based on the intelligence they've gathered," Rubio said.
“We're not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there," he added.
Russian opposition leader Navalny died in an Arctic prison colony in February 2024, after being convicted of extremism and other charges, all of which he denied.
Watch: Ukraine’s ex-energy minister arrested while attempting to leave country
Monday 16 February 2026 13:15 , Alex CroftHungary and Slovakia ask for Croatia's help to deliver Russian oil
Monday 16 February 2026 12:54 , Alex CroftHungary and Slovakia have asked Croatia to help to deliver Russian oil, Hungary's foreign minister said on Monday, after disruption to flows via Ukraine.
A Russian attack on the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine on January 27 knocked out flows to Eastern Europe, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha posted a photo on X of firefighters and what he said was Druzhba pipeline infrastructure burning, adding that Hungary had not publicly commented on the incident because Russia was to blame.
Sybiha’s Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijarto rejected Kyiv's assertions, saying that Ukraine had not resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons.
"We request Croatia to enable the transport of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline, as our sanctions exemption provides the possibility to import Russian oil by sea if pipeline deliveries are disrupted," Mr Szijarto wrote on X.
"The security of a country's energy supply must never be an ideological issue. We therefore expect Croatia, unlike Ukraine, not to endanger the oil supply security of Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons."
The Independent View | A critical point for Ukraine – and for Europe
Monday 16 February 2026 12:32 , Alex CroftAlmost four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation on the ground and in the diplomatic arena has become critical. Our report from Kyiv graphically depicts the plight of so many residents in Ukraine’s capital city, who face nightly Russian air raids, targeting primarily civilian power supplies, in mid-winter. The intensity of the attacks, the damage sustained for want of sufficient air defence, and the winter temperatures have all been markedly worse than in previous years.
Read The Independent’s editorial here:
Kremlin rejects accusations it poisoned Navalny with dart frog poison
Monday 16 February 2026 12:12 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin has rejected accusations from five European countries that the Russian state had killed late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny two years ago using toxin from poison dart frogs.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the claims were "not based on anything".
Navalny, who was Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic critic, died in February 2024 aged 47 in a far-flung Arctic prison, a month before Putin was re-elected in a landslide vote which Western nations said was neither free nor fair.
In a joint statement on Saturday, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said that analyses of samples from Navalny's body had "conclusively" confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
Peskov said Moscow took a very negative view of the European allegations.
Kremlin agrees with Slovak acccusations against Ukraine over Druzhba oil pipeline
Monday 16 February 2026 12:01 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin has agreed with Slovak prime minister Robert Fico after he accused Ukraine of holding up the restart of the Druzhba oil pipeline to try to pressure Hungary to drop its opposition to Kyiv's future membership of the European Union.
Kyiv’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Russian oil destined for Eastern Europe which goes through the Ukrainian part of the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since January 27 due to a Russian attack.
In pictures: Rubio meets Hungarian prime minister Orban
Monday 16 February 2026 11:39 , Alex Croft
Ukraine launches 'most powerful and massive' attack on Russia's Bryansk region
Monday 16 February 2026 11:17 , Alex CroftThe governor of Russia’s Bryansk region says it came under the heaviest Ukrainian attack suffered by any region during the war.
Around 229 drones were downed over the Bryansk region, out of a total 345 downed across Russia.
“Yesterday, the Bryansk region experienced its most powerful and massive attack,” governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.
“No other region in Russia has seen such a large number of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] launched simultaneously in a single day,” he added.
Bogomaz said the attack damaged energy infrastructure facilities in the region.
Russia downs 345 Ukrainian drones after heavy attack
Monday 16 February 2026 11:09 , Alex CroftRussian forces downed 345 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours following a particularly large overnight attack by Ukraine’s forces, the defence ministry reported according to the RIA news agency.
The Independent is working to verify the reports and understand what was targeted in the Ukrainian attack - and whether there were any recorded strikes.
The ministry added that Russian forces had taken control of the settlements of Pokrovka and Minkivka in eastern Ukraine.
Kremlin says territory will be discussed at Geneva talks this week
Monday 16 February 2026 10:27 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin has said "the main issues" regarding peace in Ukraine, including territory, would be discussed in peace talks due to be held in Geneva this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and special envoy Kirill Dmitriev would take part in the talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Ukraine receives millions of ammo rounds through Czech scheme
Monday 16 February 2026 10:19 , Alex CroftUkraine has received 4.4 million rounds of large-calibre ammunition under a Czech plan, president Petr Pavel has told Czech news website odkryto.cz.
The pla, strongly backed by Mr Pavel himself, pulled together Czech arms traders and producers and funding from foreign donors.
It includes Czech defence officials and defence firms sourcing 155mm and other large-calibre ammunition around the world, purchasing it and shipping to Ukraine with funds from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and other donors.
The new Czech government of Prime Minister Andrej Babis' populist ANO party, including the pro-Russian far-right SPD, had considered scrapping the initiative but agreed under pressure from Pavel and allies to continue the plan, although it said it would not give any national funding for the purchases.
"Since its launch the initiative has brought about 4.4 million pieces of large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine," Pavel, a former senior NATO official, told the odkryto.cz website.
"Without this ammunition reserve, Ukraine's armed forces could not effectively lead defence."
In pictures: Firefighters tackle blaze in Ukraine's Odesa region
Monday 16 February 2026 09:48 , Alex Croft
