Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed reports that he is planning to announce elections on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of his country on 24 February.
“Even if there were an intention or relevant steps toward bringing certain elections forward, I believe it would be an utterly stupid idea to use such a date to talk about politics,” he wrote on social media.
However, he told reporters on WhatsApp: “But of course, we are ready for elections. I said it’s very simple to do: establish a ceasefire — there will be elections. This is a matter of security.”
Mr Zelensky was elected by a landslide in 2019 and constitutionally cannot hold new elections while Ukraine is at war.
Reports that he was planning to announce elections this month appear to be a response to US pressure and claims from the Kremlin and the White House that he does not have a democratic mandate.
Meanwhile, Norway’s top military official has warned it cannot ignore the possibility of a future Russian invasion over nuclear assets stationed in the far north.
Key Points
- Zelensky dismisses reports he will call election on anniversary of war outbreak
- Norway's top defence official warns of Russian invasion to protect nuclear assets
- Russian drone kills a father and 3 children in Ukraine and severely injures pregnant mother
- Russia claims capture of Zaporizhzhia settlement
- Europe lays out demands for Russia in peace talks
- Ukraine condemnds IOC's decision on Heraskevych as 'profoundly wrong'
Zelensky ‘planning Ukraine election and peace deal referendum in spring’ after US pressure
23:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainVolodymyr Zelensky is planning to announce a spring election and a referendum on a peace deal to end the war with Russia, according to reports.
The Ukrainian president, under mounting pressure from the White House, is set to announce the election plans on 24 February, according to the Financial Times.
It comes after the United States issued a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to finalise a peace agreement in a bid to end the four-year war.
Read more here:
Zelensky ‘planning Ukraine election and peace deal referendum in spring’
Freezing on the front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive in -26C cold with scarce food and no power
22:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAs three-way peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US stall, freezing Ukrainians say they are struggling to feed their families while Putin’s relentless assault continues.
Russian forces began the year by ramping up their strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging large swathes of the country into darkness.
Ukraine is suffering its coldest winter in more than a decade, and without power, many of its people have been unable to cook meals while temperatures plummet as low as -26C.
Read more from Alex Croft here:
Freezing on front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive Putin’s war in -26C cold
Russia turns to Asia to solve employment crisis worsened by war
21:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA group of visibly weary Indian men, laden with sports bags, recently navigated passport control at a bustling Moscow airport.
Their journey, spanning over 2,700 miles and including a stop in Uzbekistan, brought them to Russia in search of employment.
"I have a contract for one year. In the rubbish disposal business. The money is good," stated Ajit, one of the new arrivals, speaking in English.
Russia turns to Asia to solve employment crisis worsened by war
Russian drone strike kills Ukrainian father and three children
20:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Russian drone strike has tragically claimed the lives of a father and his three young children in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, seriously wounding their 35-week pregnant mother, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The drone strike completely destroyed the brick house, setting it ablaze and trapping the family under the rubble, according to the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office.
The 34-year-old father and his three children – twin boys aged two and their one-year-old sister – were killed. Rescue workers pulled the mother alive from the debris, though she sustained blast injuries, a traumatic brain injury, burns, and hearing loss.
Russian drone strike kills Ukrainian father and three children
Zelensky insists on ceasefire before elections
20:21 , Sam KileyMedia reports that Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky was planning to announce elections this month appear to be a response to US pressure and claims from the Kremlin and the White House that he does not have a democratic mandate.
He was elected by a landslide in 2019 and constitutionally cannot hold new elections while Ukraine is at war.
In voice notes, Mr Zelensky said: “We are ready to work with any schedules proposed by American colleagues. But if we raise the issue of a referendum — I have already said — there must be an understanding of a ceasefire, because structurally a referendum is like elections, meaning security is required.
“The same applies to elections: again, the American side and others who raise the issue — we are not against elections, but only under security conditions.
“Our American colleagues have heard this from us many times”.
February 24 is a special date. Even if there were an intention or relevant steps toward bringing certain elections forward, I believe it would be an utterly stupid idea to use such a date to talk about politics. This is a very serious date – four years of war. It’s a large number…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 11, 2026
Zelensky dismisses reports he will call election
20:09 , Sam KileyUkraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed reports that he was planning to announce elections on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of his country on 24 February.
Speaking to reporters via WhatsApp messages, he said that such reports were news to him.
“I have said many times regarding elections: we will move to elections when there are all the appropriate security guarantees,” he said.
“I have always said that the issue of elections is raised by various partners. Ukraine itself has never raised it.
“But of course, we are ready for elections. I said it’s very simple to do: establish a ceasefire — there will be elections. This is a matter of security.
“Next: are they insisting on elections in the White House? You know that America has raised the issue of elections. Therefore I don’t want to go into details.
“Otherwise they threaten to withdraw their security guarantees. No, they are not threatening to withdraw security guarantees. By the way, they are not linking elections with security guarantees,” Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine has been the target of sophisticated information operations and warfare from both Russia and lobbyists backing the Trump administration who have tried to both force elections and cause political schisms in Ukraine.
Wargame simulating Russian attack on Nato suggests Kremlin could ‘achieve goals’ within days
19:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIn case you missed this-
A new wargame simulating a Russian incursion into Lithuania, carried out by ex-Nato and German officials, concluded that Moscow would “achieve most of its goals” within days.
The exercise envisaged a scenario where the Kremlin used bogus claims of a “humanitarian crisis” in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to seize the Lithuanian city of Marijampole to its east, a key conurbation through which the road linking Russia and Belarus runs.
Wargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country ‘within days’
Russia's curbs on Telegram prompt concern about impact on soldiers - part two
19:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussian military commentators have frequently described Telegram as an important communications tool for frontline soldiers, though the Kremlin said it was sceptical about this.
"I don't think it's possible to imagine frontline communications being provided via Telegram or some other messaging service," its spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.
He referred further questions to the Ministry of Defence, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the western Belgorod region which has frequently been struck by Ukrainian drones, said he was worried the latest moves could make it harder to deliver important safety announcements to residents.
"I'm concerned that the slowdown could impact the delivery of operational information to you if the situation worsens," he said, urging people to register with the state's rival MAX messaging system.
Critics say the authorities have clamped down on foreign-based platforms, also including Meta's WhatsApp and Apple's FaceTime, as a way of forcing people to adopt MAX, which they fear will be used by the authorities as a surveillance tool. State media have dismissed such concerns.
Telegram's Russian-born founder Pavel Durov said the app would remain committed to protecting free speech and user privacy "no matter the pressure".
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said the communications watchdog was simply doing its job.
"We can only express regret here; there's nothing good about this, but the law must be followed," he said.
Russian oil revenue plummets as sanctions target Putin’s cash cow
18:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussia's crucial oil and gas revenues, which have sustained its war against Ukraine, have suddenly dwindled to multi-year lows as the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches.
This sharp decline is the result of new punitive measures from the US and the European Union, tariff pressure from US President Donald Trump against India, and a tightening crackdown on the fleet of sanctions-dodging tankers carrying Russian oil.
The resulting revenue drop is forcing President Vladimir Putin to borrow from Russian banks and raise taxes.
Russian oil revenue plummets as sanctions target Putin’s cash cow
Russia's curbs on Telegram prompt concern about impact on soldiers
18:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussia's curbs on the messaging app Telegram could affect battlefield communications as well as prevent soldiers from keeping in touch with their families, critics charged on Wednesday in an angry backlash against the latest restrictions.
The state communications watchdog, which began limiting voice and video calls via the app last August, said on Tuesday it would impose further curbs because of a lack of action by Telegram to counter criminal and terrorist activity.
Some users have complained that the app has been noticeably slower this week.
In short video appeals, three men purporting to be members of a Russian anti-drone unit said Telegram was vital to their work and urged the watchdog not to interfere with it.
Sergei Mironov, leader of a pro-Kremlin parliamentary party, posted a link to the appeals and said soldiers' lives could be at stake.
"The guys are shedding blood there, they need normal communication, and besides Telegram, they often have nothing," he wrote. "Don't deprive them of what helps them fight the enemy and keep themselves alive."
Speaking separately to reporters, Mironov berated those responsible for impairing the app's performance as "idiots".
Telegram is a hugely popular channel for public and private communications in Russia and has long been the dominant platform for information - and disinformation - about the war in Ukraine.
Russia lacks equipment to safely restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Ukraine says
17:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainEurope's largest nuclear power plant, seized by Russian forces in the early days of their invasion of Ukraine, can be restarted safely only if it is returned to Ukrainian control, the head of Ukraine's nuclear power operator said on Tuesday.
The six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have been shut down since Russian forces captured the area. Moscow announced last year it was aiming to restart at least one reactor, and the plant's Russian-appointed boss said it could begin producing energy by 2027.
But Pavlo Kovtoniuk, boss of Ukrainian state nuclear firm Energoatom, said Russia lacks some equipment and spare parts to operate it, and risked a nuclear accident if it tries.
"Russia will not be able to launch the station. The main equipment and the control, protection and monitoring systems are all Ukrainian," Kovtoniuk said.
"This means that it's a Ukrainian project, and spare parts are manufactured at Ukrainian enterprises. Without spare parts and without the project, the station simply cannot be operated."
UK steps up troops in Norway to deter Putin
16:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainBritain is set to double its troop presence in Norway from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next three years to bolster High North defences against Russia.
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Russia says it will stick to limits of expired nuclear treaty if US does the same
15:47 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussia will keep observing the missile and warhead limits in the expired New START nuclear treaty with the United States as long as Washington continues to do the same, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
The 2010 treaty ran out on February 5, leaving the world's two biggest nuclear-armed powers with no binding constraints on their strategic arsenals for the first time in more than half a century.
U.S. President Donald Trump rejected an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin to voluntarily abide by the New START limits for another year, saying he wanted a "new, improved and modernized" treaty rather than an extension of the old one.
"Our position is that this moratorium on our side that was declared by the president is still in place, but only as long as the United States doesn't exceed the said limits," Lavrov told the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.
"We have reason to believe that the United States is in no hurry to deviate from these indicators, and for the foreseeable future these indicators will be observed," he said, without explaining the basis for that assumption.
Lavrov reiterated that Russia wanted to start "strategic dialogue" with the U.S., saying it was "long overdue".
Russian drone strike kills Ukrainian father and three children
15:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Russian drone strike has tragically claimed the lives of a father and his three young children in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, seriously wounding their 35-week pregnant mother, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The drone strike completely destroyed the brick house, setting it ablaze and trapping the family under the rubble, according to the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office.
The 34-year-old father and his three children – twin boys aged two and their one-year-old sister – were killed. Rescue workers pulled the mother alive from the debris, though she sustained blast injuries, a traumatic brain injury, burns, and hearing loss.
Russian drone strike kills Ukrainian father and three children
Air defences used against Russian missile attack on Ukraine's Lviv region, mayor says - update
14:37 , Maryam Zakir-HussainLviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said: "Close to 1440 (local time) two enemy Kinzhal (missiles) were flying in the direction of Lviv. Air defence forces neutralised them. This is a titanic work," Sadovyi wrote on yhe Telegram messaging app.
He added that as of now there were no reports of any damage or people hurt, and that city services were surveying the territory.
Air defences used against Russian missile attack on Ukraine's Lviv region, mayor says
14:15 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAir defences were used against a Russian missile attack on Lviv region, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Wednesday, as the air force warned of Russian missiles in the air.
Lviv is in western Ukraine, less than 60 kilometres from the Polish border.
The city is about 600km (370 miles) away from the nearest border with Russia, making attacks there, especially daytime ones, less common than other major Ukrainian cities.
Russia says it won't breach limits of expired nuclear treaty if US does the same
14:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussia will keep observing the missile and warhead limits in the New START nuclear treaty with the United States, which expired last week, as long as Washington continues to do the same, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
The 2010 treaty ran out on February 5, leaving the world's two biggest nuclear-armed powers with binding constraints on their strategic nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than half a century.
US president Donald Trump declined a formal proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to voluntarily abide by the New START limits for another year. Lavrov said Moscow would stick to the limits itself for now anyway.
"Our position is that this moratorium on our side that was declared by the president is still in place, but only as long as the United States doesn't exceed the said limits," Lavrov told parliament's lower house, the State Duma.
The treaty's expiry has spurred fears of a three-way arms race involving Russia, the U.S. and China, which has far fewer warheads than the other two countries but is arming rapidly.
Some analysts say, however, that Russia is keen to avoid the cost of such a contest at a time when its state budget is feeling the strain from its four-year-old war in Ukraine.
Czech ammunition scheme for Kyiv faces funding shortfalls - NATO official
13:40 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Czech initiative sourcing ammunition for Ukraine aims to secure shells worth five billion euros ($5.95 billion) globally but has only managed to raise 1.4 billion euros so far, a senior NATO military official said on Wednesday.
The programme, involving foreign donors including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands alongside Czech defence officials and arms companies, seeks to acquire large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine to reduce its disadvantage on the battlefield against Russia.
In December, NATO's Ukraine mission, NSATU, projected the initiative would deliver 1.8 million artillery rounds in 2025, constituting 43% of all ammunition supplied to Kyiv, and roughly 70% of the legacy Soviet calibre ammunition.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted 16 billion euros worth of ammunition were available on the global market currently.
NATO is targeting a five-billion-euro expenditure focused predominantly on acquiring hundreds of thousands of artillery shells under the Czech scheme, the official said, adding that 1.4 billion euros had been committed by donors so far.
'Security issues are key priority' - Zelensky
13:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine showed security issues are a key priority at present, and that all other issues must be addressed in conjunction with them.
He wrote in a lengthy post on X: “As long as Russia continues to kill people and destroy our infrastructure, there will not be sufficient public trust even in active diplomacy.
“And this is important for all of Ukraine’s partners – in the United States and Europe – to understand. I expect Ukrainian diplomats to effectively convey this position on security to our partners and to fully inform all of our partners about the real situation in Ukraine’s regions.”
I held the daily coordination call. Reports about constant Russian strikes are coming in from virtually all communities along the border with Russia and all frontline regions. In Kherson alone, there were 470 attack drones over the past day, and although most of them were… pic.twitter.com/0gkcu2UMJG
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 11, 2026
UK to double number of troops in Norway in response to Putin’s Arctic threat
13:15 , Maryam Zakir-HussainBritain is set to double the number of its troops in Norway to bolster defences in the High North against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The commitment will see the number of UK forces in the country rise from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next three years.
Defence Secretary John Healey, speaking during a visit to Royal Marines at Camp Viking in the Norwegian Arctic, also pledged UK participation in Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission.
Read more here:
UK to double number of troops in Norway in response to Putin’s Arctic threat
IOC bans Ukrainian from wearing war tribute helmet at Winter Olympics
12:50 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that it will not allow Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych to wear a helmet honouring those killed in the war with Russia during the skeleton competition at the Winter Olympics, while announcing he may wear a black armband as a “compromise”.
Heraskevych said in a video on social media on Monday night that he was preparing an official request to compete in the helmet, after being informed of the ban, but that has now been denied.
The 27-year-old has been training in Italy while wearing headgear depicting Ukrainian athletes who have been killed since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022.
IOC bans Ukrainian from wearing war tribute helmet at Winter Olympics
Russian drone attack kills three children and father
12:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainFirefighters work to extinguish a fire at a private house following a Russian drone attack in Bogodukhiv Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian city of Bogodukhiv killed three children and their father, an official said on Wednesday.
A woman, identified by prosecutors as the children's mother who is eight months pregnant, was injured in the blast and sustained "a traumatic brain injury, acoustic barotrauma, and thermal burns", prosecutors said.
Drone attack sparks fire at a plant in Russia's Volgograd region, governor says
12:11 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAn overnight drone attack sparked a fire on the territory an industrial facility in Russia's southern region of Volgograd, the regional governor said on Wednesday.
"Air defence units of the Russian Ministry of Defence are repelling a massive terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles on energy and civilian infrastructure facilities in the Volgograd region," the governor, Andrei Bocharov, said on Telegram.
The attack caused damage to an apartment in a residential building, drone debris also fell on the territory of a kindergarten, he said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Zelensky ‘planning Ukraine election and peace deal referendum in spring’ after US pressure
11:13 , Maryam Zakir-HussainVolodymyr Zelensky is planning to announce a spring election and a referendum on a peace deal to end the war with Russia, according to reports.
The Ukrainian president, under mounting pressure from the White House, is set to announce the election plans on 24 February, according to the Financial Times.
It comes after the United States issued a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to finalise a peace agreement in a bid to end the four-year war.
Zelensky ‘planning Ukraine election and peace deal referendum in spring’
Russia attacked railway station in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, deputy PM says
10:27 , Maryam Zakir-HussainRussia attacked a railway station in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region early on Wednesday, damaging locomotives, rail, cars and infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.
There was also another attack on railway depot in Konotop in the Sumy region, he said on the Telegram messaging app.
"This is another targeted attack on civilian logistics and critical infrastructure," Kuleba wrote.
Russian drone kills a father and 3 children in Ukraine and severely injures pregnant mother
08:51 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Russian drone smashed into a home in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region overnight, killing a father and his three small children and seriously wounding their mother who is 35 weeks pregnant, officials said Wednesday.
The strike completely destroyed the house and set it on fire, with the family trapped under the rubble, according to the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office.
The 34-year-old father and his three children — twin boys aged 2 and their 1-year-old sister — were killed, while rescue workers pulled the mother alive from the rubble, prosecutors said.
She sustained blast injuries, a traumatic brain injury, burns and hearing loss, they said.
The drone that struck the Kharkiv town of Bohodukhiv was identified as a Geran-2, a Russian-made version of an Iranian Shahed drone.
Ukraine's Air Force says Russia launched 129 long-range drones at Ukraine last night.
Freezing on the front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive in -26C cold with scarce food and no power
08:21 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAs the fourth anniversary of Putin’s invasion nears and peace talks show little signs of progress, Ukrainians tell Alex Croft about the grim reality on the ground:
A three-way peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US stall, freezing Ukrainians say they are struggling to feed their families while Putin’s relentless assault continues.
Russian forces began the year by ramping up their strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging large swathes of the country into darkness.
Ukraine is suffering its coldest winter in more than a decade, and without power, many of its people have been unable to cook meals while temperatures plummet as low as -26C.
Read more here:
Freezing on front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive Putin’s war in -26C cold
Zelensky intends to announce presidential election plan on war anniversary – report
08:00 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly intends to make an announcement regarding presidential elections on 24 February, the anniversary of the start of the war.
The report comes from the Financial Times, citing Ukrainian and European officials involved in the planning.
Reuters reported last week that under a framework being discussed by US and Ukrainian negotiators, any peace deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would simultaneously vote in national elections, adding that officials had discussed the possibility that the national election and referendum could occur in May.
Ukraine has now begun planning presidential elections alongside a referendum on a prospective peace deal with Russia, the report added, citing Ukrainian and Western officials aware of the matter.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has refused to budge and says he will defy an International Olympic Committee ban.
The athlete said he will compete in his "helmet of remembrance" honouring those killed in the war with Russia.
"Because of their (the dead athletes') sacrifice, we are able to compete here as a team. I will not betray them," Heraskevych told an outdoor press conference by the Olympic rings in Cortina on Tuesday.
“I believe they deserve to be with me on competition day. I used it yesterday (at training), I used it today (at training), I will use it tomorrow and I will use it on race day," he said.
“Now I need to think about how I can perform better and how I can be concentrated on the track, but now I'm here, I'm trying to fight for my right to wear this helmet," Heraskevych said.
Heraskevych, who displayed a "No War in Ukraine" sign at Beijing 2022 days before Russia's invasion, said he had received encouragement from numerous athletes, and Latvia coach Ivo Steinbergs joined the press conference to voice his support.
“There is a strong support from other nations. Yesterday the president of Latvia came to visit us and he expressed strong support for Vladyslav. If it comes to disqualification we will see what we can do," said Steinberg.
Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha showed a message on her glove written in English saying “Remembrance is not a Violation” in support of Heraskevych.
Zelensky says changes under way in air defence and other areas
07:32 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky assembled his top military officers yesterday to discuss shortcomings in air defence and other aspects of protecting civilians from attack nearly four years into Russia's war in Ukraine.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelensky assessed how local authorities in Ukraine's cities were tackling the aftermath of massive Russian attacks, particularly in ensuring high-rise apartments had power and heating. He again singled out for criticism officials in the capital Kyiv.
Zelensky said he held long discussions with the military's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov, and defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
"Many changes are happening right now in the work of air defence. In some regions, the way teams operate, interceptors, mobile fire units, the entire small air defence component is being practically rebuilt completely," Zelensky said.
"But this is only one element of defence that requires changes. Changes will happen,” he said.
Father and three children killed in Russian strike near Kharkiv
07:22 , Arpan RaiA 34-year-old man and his three children have been killed in a Russian drone attack on a Ukrainian town near Kharkiv, officials said.
The children's mother, who is pregnant, was rescued after the attack, Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
A Russian drone hit a residential building housing the family of five in the town of Bohodukhiv late on Tuesday.
"As a result of the strike, the house was completely destroyed and engulfed in flames, and the family was trapped under the rubble," it said on the Telegram channel.
The family had only just evacuated from a nearby village a few days earlier, Ukrainian police said.
Russia’s unrelenting assault on Ukraine continues as at least 129 drones were used to attack the country overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Of these 112 were shot down or neutralised.
Kharkiv, which lies some 30km (19 miles) from the country's northeastern border, and the surrounding region have been a repeated target of Russian air attacks.
Europe lays out demands for Russia in peace talks
07:20 , Arpan RaiThe European Union says it is working on its own “sustainable peace plan” that could help force Russia’s hand and bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was "very grateful" for US diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine but that Ukraine's European allies would have to agree to any future peace agreement.
“Everybody around the table, including the Russians and the Americans, needs to understand that you need Europeans to agree (to have a peace deal)," Kallas said, speaking to reporters in Brussels.
“And for that, we also have conditions. And we should put the conditions, not on Ukrainians, who have been already pressured a lot, but on the Russians," she said.
Europe, Kallas said, needs to push for concessions from Moscow, such as limiting its armed forces.
"If they put out the maximalist demands, we should also put out the maximalist demands."
This comes amid reports that the bloc is discussing a plan that could give Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as next year and that Kyiv has been pushing for accession to the EU as part of a future deal with the Kremlin.
Ukraine condemns IOC's decision on Heraskevych as 'profoundly wrong'
07:15 , Arpan RaiThe International Olympic Committee's decision banning Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from using a helmet with images of Ukrainian sportspeople killed during the war was "profoundly wrong", prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
"More than 650 Ukrainian athletes will never stand on an Olympic stage. They were killed by Russians," Svyrydenko said in a post on X.
"Against this reality, the decision to ban the helmet of our athlete... is profoundly wrong. Remembering the dead is not politics. It is dignity,” she said.
Heraskevych said he will defy an IOC ban and compete in his "helmet of remembrance" honouring those killed in the war with Russia. The 27-year-old has been training in Italy with the helmet showing 24 images of dead Ukrainian athletes, but the IOC said he could not do so in the competition starting tomorrow due to a rule banning any political statements in the fields of play.
He could instead wear a black armband, it said.
Norway's top defence official warns of Russian invasion to protect nuclear assets
07:00 , Arpan RaiNorway cannot ignore the possibility of a future Russian invasion over nuclear assets stationed in the far north, the Nordic nation’s army chief warned.
“We don’t exclude a land grab from Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, which is the only thing they have left that actually threatens the United States,” Gen Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s chief of defence, told The Guardian.
Gen Kristoffersen said that while Russia does not have conquest goals in Norway in the same way as it has proceeded in Ukraine or other former Soviet nations, its nuclear arsenal located on the Kola peninsula could motivate Moscow for an invasion.
The peninsula, a short distance from the Norwegian border, hosts nuclear submarines, land-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft.These assets could be deployed by Russia if it launches a bigger conflict with Nato elsewhere.
“We don’t take that off the table, because it’s still an option for Russia to do that in order to make sure that their nuclear capabilities, their second strike capabilities, are protected. That’s sort of the scenario in the high north that we plan for,” the senior defence official said.
Watch: Zelensky says air defence repairs underway as Kyiv hit by power, heating shortages
06:52 , Arpan RaiWatch: Russia’s Vostok forces claim operational control of key Ukrainian defense points
06:40 , Arpan RaiRussian oil revenue plummets as sanctions target Putin’s cash cow
06:30 , Arpan RaiRussia's crucial oil and gas revenues, which have sustained its war against Ukraine, have suddenly dwindled to multi-year lows as the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches.
This sharp decline is the result of new punitive measures from the US and the European Union, tariff pressure from US President Donald Trump against India, and a tightening crackdown on the fleet of sanctions-dodging tankers carrying Russian oil.
The resulting revenue drop is forcing President Vladimir Putin to borrow from Russian banks and raise taxes.
While these measures are currently keeping state finances "on an even keel", they only increase strains in a war economy now plagued by slowing growth and stubborn inflation.
Russian oil revenue plummets as sanctions target Putin’s cash cow
UK to double number of troops in Norway in response to Putin’s Arctic threat
06:15 , Arpan RaiBritain is set to double the number of its troops in Norway to bolster defences in the High North against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The commitment will see the number of UK forces in the country rise from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next three years.
Defence Secretary John Healey, speaking during a visit to Royal Marines at Camp Viking in the Norwegian Arctic, also pledged UK participation in Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission.
This alliance initiative seeks to improve regional security and address concerns raised by Donald Trump regarding Greenland.
The announcement comes as General Sir Nick Carter, a former head of the armed forces, urged greater European co-operation to deter Russia and support Ukraine.
The Defence Secretary also confirmed that UK Armed Forces will play their part in Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission.
UK to double number of troops in Norway in response to Putin’s Arctic threat
Ukrainian drones set Russian industrial facility on fire
06:00 , Arpan RaiAn overnight drone attack sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Russia's southern region of Volgograd, the regional governor said this morning.
"Air defence units of the Russian ministry of defence are repelling a massive terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles on energy and civilian infrastructure facilities in the Volgograd region," said governor Andrei Bocharov.
The attack caused damage to an apartment in a residential building, drone debris also fell on the grounds of a kindergarten, he said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Zelensky intends to announce election plan on war anniversary – report
05:55 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly intends to make an announcement regarding presidential elections on 24 February, the anniversary of the start of the war.
The report comes from the Financial Times, citing Ukrainian and European officials involved in the planning.
Reuters reported last week that under a framework being discussed by US and Ukrainian negotiators, any peace deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would simultaneously vote in national elections, adding that officials had discussed the possibility that the national election and referendum could occur in May.
Ukraine has now begun planning presidential elections alongside a referendum on a prospective peace deal with Russia, the report added, citing Ukrainian and Western officials aware of the matter.
Russia clamps down on Telegram as restrictions impact popular communications app
05:43 , Arpan RaiTelegram, one of Russia’s most popular platforms for public and private communications, is set to face further restrictions from the authorities after alleged failures to correct previous violations, the state communications watchdog said.
In a statement yesterday, Roskomnadzor said a number of messaging apps, including Telegram, had not taken action over the past few months to address its complaints.
“As before, Russian law is not being observed, personal data is not protected, and there are no effective measures to counter fraud and the use of the messaging app for criminal and terrorist purposes," it said.
“Therefore, by decision of the authorized bodies, Roskomnadzor will continue to impose successive restrictions in order to ensure compliance with Russian legislation and ensure the protection of citizens.
"The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, limited voice and video calls via Telegram last August, when it took similar steps against Meta's WhatsApp.
In the next stage of clampdown on foreign-based tech providers, Russian agency blocked Apple’s video-calling app FaceTime in December.
Watch: Child among four killed in Russian drone and missile strikes
04:58 , Arpan RaiRussia claims capture of Zaporizhzhia settlement
04:29 , Arpan RaiRussia's defence ministry claims its forces have captured the rural settlement of Zaliznychne in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, according to the Russian state news agency RIA.
The defence ministry did not provide any evidence to support its claim.
The Zaporizhzhia region has been facing heavy attack from Russia, with a one-year-old boy, two women and a man injured after a drone strike overnight yesterday.
Later in the day, Russia-backed officials said one of two external power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine had been cut as a result of a Ukrainian attack.
They claimed that heat supply to residential buildings and social facilities in Enerhodar has been temporarily suspended.
Europe lays out demands for Russia in peace talks
04:14 , Arpan RaiThe European Union says it is working on its own “sustainable peace plan” that could help force Russia’s hand and bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was "very grateful" for US diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine but that Ukraine's European allies would have to agree to any future peace agreement.
“Everybody around the table, including the Russians and the Americans, needs to understand that you need Europeans to agree (to have a peace deal)," Kallas said, speaking to reporters in Brussels.
“And for that, we also have conditions. And we should put the conditions, not on Ukrainians, who have been already pressured a lot, but on the Russians," she said.
Europe, Kallas said, needs to push for concessions from Moscow, such as limiting its armed forces.
"If they put out the maximalist demands, we should also put out the maximalist demands."
This comes amid reports that the bloc is discussing a plan that could give Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as next year and that Kyiv has been pushing for accession to the EU as part of a future deal with the Kremlin.
Kremlin says no date yet for next round of Ukraine talks
03:50 , Arpan RaiThe Kremlin said on Tuesday there was no date set yet for the next round of peace talks on Ukraine, but said the negotiations were likely to happen soon.
Russia, Ukraine and the United States met last week in Abu Dhabi for a second round of trilateral talks. They yielded no major breakthrough though 314 prisoners of war were exchanged, the first such swap since October.
Norway's top defence official warns of Russian invasion to protect nuclear assets
03:43 , Arpan RaiNorway cannot ignore the possibility of a future Russian invasion over nuclear assets stationed in the far north, the Nordic nation’s army chief warned.
“We don’t exclude a land grab from Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, which is the only thing they have left that actually threatens the United States,” Gen Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s chief of defence, told The Guardian.
Gen Kristoffersen said that while Russia does not have conquest goals in Norway in the same way as it has proceeded in Ukraine or other former Soviet nations, its nuclear arsenal located on the Kola peninsula could motivate Moscow for an invasion.
The peninsula, a short distance from the Norwegian border, hosts nuclear submarines, land-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft.These assets could be deployed by Russia if it launches a bigger conflict with Nato elsewhere.
“We don’t take that off the table, because it’s still an option for Russia to do that in order to make sure that their nuclear capabilities, their second strike capabilities, are protected. That’s sort of the scenario in the high north that we plan for,” the senior defence official said.
Ukraine condemnds IOC's decision on Heraskevych as 'profoundly wrong'
03:21 , Arpan RaiThe International Olympic Committee's decision banning Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from using a helmet with images of Ukrainian sportspeople killed during the war was "profoundly wrong", prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
"More than 650 Ukrainian athletes will never stand on an Olympic stage. They were killed by Russians," Svyrydenko said in a post on X.
"Against this reality, the decision to ban the helmet of our athlete... is profoundly wrong. Remembering the dead is not politics. It is dignity,” she said.
Heraskevych said he will defy an IOC ban and compete in his "helmet of remembrance" honouring those killed in the war with Russia. The 27-year-old has been training in Italy with the helmet showing 24 images of dead Ukrainian athletes, but the IOC said he could not do so in the competition starting tomorrow due to a rule banning any political statements in the fields of play.
He could instead wear a black armband, it said.
The Olympic Games are meant to celebrate excellence in sport, discipline, sacrifice, and greatness forged through years of hard work. More than 650 Ukrainian athletes will never stand on an Olympic stage. They were killed by Russians. Their lives were cut short, their careers… pic.twitter.com/xNzSOJcJz9
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) February 10, 2026
Zelensky says changes under way in air defence and other areas
03:09 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky assembled his top military officers yesterday to discuss shortcomings in air defence and other aspects of protecting civilians from attack nearly four years into Russia's war in Ukraine.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelensky assessed how local authorities in Ukraine's cities were tackling the aftermath of massive Russian attacks, particularly in ensuring high-rise apartments had power and heating. He again singled out for criticism officials in the capital Kyiv.
Zelenskiy said he held long discussions with the military's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov, and defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
"Many changes are happening right now in the work of air defence. In some regions, the way teams operate, interceptors, mobile fire units, the entire small air defence component is being practically rebuilt completely," Zelensky said.
"But this is only one element of defence that requires changes. Changes will happen,” he said.
Today I had a long discussion with military officials – the Commander-in-Chief, the Chief of the General Staff, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Many changes are underway in our air defense operations: in some regions, the way teams work is being almost completely… pic.twitter.com/zGLMmMh6R3
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 10, 2026
In pictures: Ukrainian thermal power plant damaged by Russian strikes
03:00 , Alex Croft
Three small children among four killed in Russian attack on Kharkiv
02:44 , Arpan RaiA Russian strike killed four people, including three small children, in a town west of Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv, the regional governor said in the early hours today.
Oleh Syniehubov said the three children, aged one and two, died along with a 34-year-old man in the house where they were staying in the town of Bohodukhiv.
A woman aged 74 was also injured in the Russian attack.
Moscow detains third suspect over shooting of senior general
02:01 , Alex CroftRussia's FSB security service has detained a third suspect over an attempt last week to kill a senior military intelligence officer, Vladimir Alexeyev, Russian news agency Interfax quoted the FSB as saying on Tuesday.
Alexeyev was shot in an alleged assassination attempt on Friday, and is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery.
Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen who Moscow says was working under Kyiv’s instructions, was previously detained in Dubai and is now in detention in Russia.
Ukraine denies all involvement in the attack, which comes following a spate of killings of senior military officers in Moscow last year that were linked by Russia to Ukraine.
Merz to meet Zelensky, Rubio, and Chinese foreign minister
01:00 , Alex CroftGerman chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Berlin has confirmed.
Mr Merz is set to open the annual security forum with a speech that will outline German foreign policy in times of great power politics and strained transatlantic relations, the official told reporters in Berlin.
"The chancellor has repeatedly made clear that he is not among those who say we are in a situation in which we must — or even can - write off the United States," a German official said.
"I expect he will outline what he sees as a path forward for transatlantic relations."
Ukrainian star ‘banned’ from wearing war tribute helmet at Winter Olympics
00:01 , Alex CroftUkrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych has been informed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that a helmet he intended to use at the Milano Cortina Games, featuring images of compatriots killed during the war, violates rules on political statements and cannot be worn in competition.
The helmet, which depicts several athletes who died in the conflict – some of whom were personal friends of Heraskevych – is now expected to be shelved.
Heraskevych, who serves as his country's flag bearer at the Games, had been using the helmet in training.
He was reportedly informed of the ban by Toshio Tsurunaga, an IOC representative responsible for communications with athletes, during a visit to the Athletes' Village.
Read our full report here:
Ukrainian ‘banned’ from wearing war tribute helmet at Winter Olympics
Russian strike kills four including three children near Ukraine's Kharkiv, regional governor says
Tuesday 10 February 2026 23:50 , Maira ButtA Russian strike has killed four people, including three small children, in a town west of Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv, the regional governor said on Tuesday.
Two children aged one and two died along with a 34-year-old man in the house where they were staying in the town of Bohodukhiv, according to a statement by Oleh Syniehubov on Telegram.
A 74-year-old woman was injured in the incident.
Moscow claims it has seized village in Zaporizhzhia region
Tuesday 10 February 2026 23:01 , Alex CroftRussia’s defence ministry has said its forces have seized the settlement of Zaliznychne in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.
The Independent could not independently verify Tuesday’s battlefield report from Moscow.
In pictures: Ukrainian troops fire at Russian frontline in Kharkiv
Tuesday 10 February 2026 22:01 , Alex Croft
Germany to order £467 million of drones in rearmament push
Tuesday 10 February 2026 21:00 , Alex CroftThe German government plans to order strike drones worth 536 million euros (£467 million), part of a rearmament push after Russia's attack on Ukraine.
The contracts for loitering munitions - drones that hover over a potential strike area before flying into targets - are part of a larger framework deal worth 4.3 billion euros.
The contracts, outlined in documents seen by Reuters, are widely expected to be rubber-stamped by the lower house of parliament's budget committee. They were first reported by Spiegel magazine.
The drones are initially intended to support Germany's 45th Tank Brigade, which is deployed in Lithuania.
According to the documents, the contracts with the two companies are to have a term of seven years. The initial batch is scheduled to be delivered by early 2027.
Earthquake strikes Russia's Krasnodar region
Tuesday 10 February 2026 20:01 , Alex CroftAn earthquake hit Russia's southern Krasnodar region, officials said on Tuesday.
The mayor of the port city of Novorossiysk, Andrei Kravchenko, said that the earthquake did not cause any damage to the city's infrastructure.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said that the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8.
Очевидцы публикуют кадры землетрясения в Краснодарском крае
— Дождь (@tvrain) February 10, 2026
Магнитуда землетрясения составила 4,8 баллов. О пострадавших не сообщается.
Видео: соцсети pic.twitter.com/TYBbqqguIR
Looking to cash in on wartime tech, Ukraine opens up arms exports
Tuesday 10 February 2026 19:03 , Alex CroftUkraine is opening up exports of its domestically produced weapons, president Volodymyr Zelensky says, as a way for Kyiv to cash in on its wartime technological developments and generate badly needed funds.
Zelensky said 10 "export centres" for Ukrainian weapons would be opened in 2026 across Europe, adding that combat drones would be among the exports.
“Today, Europe's security is built on technology and drones," Zelensky said on Sunday evening."All of this will be based largely on Ukrainian technology and Ukrainian specialists,” he said.
Zelensky said production of Ukrainian drones would begin in Germany in February, adding to those already being built in the UK under a joint production initiative. He did not identify the companies involved.
Ukraine's allies have expressed interest in learning from its wartime experience and technological innovation to bolster their own forces, many of them weakened by decades of low defence spending.
South African president backs efforts to end Ukraine war in call with Putin
Tuesday 10 February 2026 18:01 , Alex CroftSouth African president Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his country's support for efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict in a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Mr Ramaphosa's office said.
The Kremlin had earlier announced that the pair discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Russian oil revenue plummets as sanctions target Putin’s cash cow
Tuesday 10 February 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftRussia's crucial oil and gas revenues, which have sustained its war against Ukraine, have suddenly dwindled to multi-year lows as the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches.
This sharp decline is the result of new punitive measures from the US and the European Union, tariff pressure from US President Donald Trump against India, and a tightening crackdown on the fleet of sanctions-dodging tankers carrying Russian oil.
The resulting revenue drop is forcing President Vladimir Putin to borrow from Russian banks and raise taxes.
While these measures are currently keeping state finances "on an even keel", they only increase strains in a war economy now plagued by slowing growth and stubborn inflation.
Read more here:
Russian oil revenue plummets as sanctions target Putin’s cash cow
95,000 left without power in Odesa
Tuesday 10 February 2026 16:31 , Alex CroftRussian forces struck energy facilities in Ukraine's Odesa region on the Black Sea overnight, leaving over 95,000 people in the southern part of the region without power, a regional official said on Tuesday.
Russia launched 125 drones at Ukraine overnight and Ukrainian air defence units shot down or neutralised 110, the Ukrainian air force said.
Oleh Kiper, Odesa regional governor, said the small town of Kilia was in the most difficult situation, as more than 200 buildings housing 9,000 people depended on electricity for heat.
"At night, the enemy launched another cynical attack on the energy infrastructure of the Odesa region," he wrote on Telegram.
Freezing on the front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive in -26C cold with scarce food and no power
Tuesday 10 February 2026 16:04 , Alex CroftAs three-way peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US stall, freezing Ukrainians say they are struggling to feed their families while Putin’s relentless assault continues.
Russian forces began the year by ramping up their strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging large swathes of the country into darkness.
Ukraine is suffering its coldest winter in more than a decade, and without power, many of its people have been unable to cook meals while temperatures plummet as low as -26C.
The latest round of talks did little to boost the optimism of Ukrainians now facing a fresh crisis in aid-starved frontline regions, with declining volunteer numbers and food supplies proving scarce.
“I feel despair,” says Tetiana Usachova, 36, a mother of two small children with retired parents who were internally displaced from the Donetsk region.
Read our full report, speaking with Ukrainians living on the frontline:
Freezing on front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive Putin’s war in -26C cold
Kallas says she will propose concessions Europe should demand from Russia
Tuesday 10 February 2026 16:00 , Alex CroftEU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday she would propose a list of concessions that Europe should demand from Russia as part of a settlement to end the war in Ukraine.
"Everybody around the table, including the Russians and the Americans, needs to understand that you need Europeans to agree [to have a peace deal]," Ms Kallas told a group of news agency reporters in Brussels.
"And for that, we also have conditions. And we should put the conditions not on Ukrainians, who have been already pressured a lot, but on the Russians."
Don't follow Putin's divisive agenda, Kyiv mayor tells Zelensky - ICYMI
Tuesday 10 February 2026 15:32 , Alex CroftVitalii Klitschko has now been asked about political animosity between himself and Volodymyr Zelensky, of whom he has previously been critical.
He says that he has a “not easy relationship” between the local government and central government. This is not exclusive to Kyiv, he says - it is an “opinion from many mayors”.
Mr Klitschko adds: “Unity inside the country, without political games, makes us much stronger.
“Political competition, we have a lot of examples [of it] during the war, it’s not smart.
“The president criticised [the Kyiv administration] that we were not good prepared [for war]. I’m sorry, I’m not responsible for air defense. We do everything that we can.
“Who is guilty, the local government, the central government? The company that delivers energy? We are fighting against each other, but nobody will look at Putin.
“Putin destroyed I told the president, please don’t follow the agenda of Putin. We have to be united.”
Power line suppling Zaporizhzhia power plant cut off by Ukrainian attack, says Russia
Tuesday 10 February 2026 15:00 , Alex CroftOne of two external power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been cut as a result of a Ukrainian attack, the Russian-installed management of the station said on Tuesday.
Heat supply to residential buildings and social facilities in Enerhodar has been temporarily suspended, it added.
The Independent was not able to verify battlefield reports from either side.
Russian strike kills mother and child, wounds 14 others
Tuesday 10 February 2026 14:25 , Alex CroftA Russian airstrike killed an 11-year-old girl and her mother and wounded 14 other people in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, its governor said on Tuesday.
A 7-year-old girl was among those wounded in the attack on the city of Sloviansk, governor Vadym Filashkin said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukrainian police said the bodies of the woman and child had been recovered from under the rubble of a building. They posted photos of a flattened building and a person receiving help in an ambulance.
Sloviansk and neighbouring Kramatorsk are two of the so-called "fortress cities" that lie close to the front line and have been frequent targets of Russian attacks.
Putin discusses Ukraine with South African president
Tuesday 10 February 2026 13:48 , Alex CroftRussian president Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine in a phone call with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, the Kremlin said via its channel in Telegram.
We’re working to bring you more details of the conversation.
Vladimir Alexeyev shooting: All we know about ‘attempted assassination’ of Putin’s senior general
Tuesday 10 February 2026 13:27 , Alex CroftThe suspect of an attack on a top Russian general has been extradited to Moscow after being arrested in Dubai, according to Russia’s security service.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev was shot in an alleged assassination attempt on Friday, and is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery.
Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen who Moscow says was working under Kyiv’s instructions, has now been detained in Dubai and is now in detention in Russia.
Ukraine denies all involvement in the attack, which comes following a spate of killings of senior military officers in Moscow last year that were linked by Russia to Ukraine.
Here is everything we know about the shooting of a senior military intelligence officer so far.
Vladimir Alexeyev: Everything we know about the shooting of senior Putin general
Russian foreign minister says 'long way to go' for peace in Ukraine
Tuesday 10 February 2026 13:03 , Alex CroftRussian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned against “overly enthusiastic perceptions” of peace talks on Ukraine and warned there is a “long way to go”.
Speaking in an interview with Russian channel NTV, Lavrov said, according to Ukrainska Pravda: "We have said this more than once: we must not fall into some kind of excited perception of what is happening – that President Trump has put the Europeans in their place, put Zelenskyy in his place, and is demanding compliance from them.
“All of this is fine if we want to achieve peace in Ukraine, but we are not there yet. The negotiations are ongoing; a second round took place in Abu Dhabi, and there is still a long way to go."
He also criticised the Trump administrations use of trade wars on the international stage, stating that the US "abuses the position of the dollar in the global economy and turns the American currency into a weapon against states it finds objectionable".
In pictures: Ukrainian thermal power plant damaged by Russian strikes
Tuesday 10 February 2026 12:45 , Alex Croft
