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.
General Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s chief of defence, said the Nordic nation does not “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 Kristoffersen warned that while Russia does not have conquest goals in Norway in the same way as it has for Ukraine or other former Soviet nations, its nuclear arsenal located on the Kola peninsula could motivate Moscow to invade regardless.
Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry claims its forces have captured the rural settlement of Zaliznychne in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, though it did not provide any evidence to back its claim.
And Kyiv has condemned the International Olympic Committee's decision to ban the country’s skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from using a helmet with images of Ukrainian sportspeople killed during the war as "profoundly wrong".
Key Points
- Norway's top defence official warns of Russian invasion to protect nuclear assets
- Russia claims capture of Zaporizhzhia settlement
- Ukraine condemnds IOC's decision on Heraskevych as 'profoundly wrong'
- Europe lays out demands for Russia in peace talks
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
Moscow detains third suspect over shooting of senior general
Tuesday 10 February 2026 12:27 , 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
Tuesday 10 February 2026 12:06 , 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
Tuesday 10 February 2026 11:44 , 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
Moscow claims it has seized village in Zaporizhzhia region
Tuesday 10 February 2026 11:21 , 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.
Watch: Emergency response after child among four killed in Russian drone and missile strikes
Tuesday 10 February 2026 11:03 , Alex CroftKremlin says it does not see desire from France to resume high-level dialogue
Tuesday 10 February 2026 10:39 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin has said it does not see a desire from France to resume dialogue at the highest level, despite recent contacts having been made between Moscow and Paris.
French president Emmanuel Macron sent his top diplomat to Moscow last week, sources told Reuters, as he explored the possibility of reopening direct talks with the Russian leader.
The pair last spoke over the phone in July 2025, their first conversation in nearly three years.
"Indeed, contacts have taken place, we can confirm this, which, if desired and necessary, will help to quickly establish dialogue at the highest level,” Peskov said.
“So far, we have not received any indication of this desire, although we have noted Mr Macron's statement on the need to restore relations with Russia. We are impressed by such statements."
Kremlin says no date has been set for trilateral talks
Tuesday 10 February 2026 10:19 , Alex CroftWe’ve now heard from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who has been speaking on the possibility of further trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US.
No date has been set yet, he said, but negotiations are likely to take place soon.
The second round of trilateral peace talks took place in Abu Dhabi last week, yielding no major breakthrough though 314 prisoners of war were exchanged, the first such swap since October.
In pictures: Ukrainian troops fire at Russian frontline in Kharkiv
Tuesday 10 February 2026 10:03 , Alex CroftGermany to order £467 million of drones in rearmament push
Tuesday 10 February 2026 09:21 , 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.
Russian oil export venues are dwindling thanks to sanctions
Tuesday 10 February 2026 08:55 , Alex CroftOil and gas exports have sustained Russia's finances throughout its war against Ukraine. But as the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches, those cash flows have suddenly dwindled to lows not seen in years.
It's the result of new punitive measures from the U.S. and the European Union, U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff pressure against India, and a tightening crackdown on the fleet of sanctions-dodging tankers carrying Russian oil.
The drop in revenue is pushing President Vladimir Putin to borrow from Russian banks and raise taxes, keeping state finances on an even keel for now.
But those measures only increase strains in a war economy now plagued by slowing growth and stubborn inflation.
Read the full report:
Oil exports have been a cash cow for Russia. But revenues are dwindling, thanks to sanctions
6,000 without electricity in Zaporizhzhia region
Tuesday 10 February 2026 08:38 , Alex CroftNearly 6,000 people have been left without electricity in the Zaporizhzhia region following resumed Russian strikes on energy facilities in Ukraine, the head of the local military administration said.
Two villages in the Kushuhum area have been left without power, Ivan Fedorov said, adding that “repair work will begin as soon as the security situation allows”.
Some villages in the Odesa region were also left without electricity following Russian strikes overnight.
Russian forces launch 125 drones at Ukraine overnight
Tuesday 10 February 2026 08:25 , Alex CroftRussian forces attacked Ukraine with 125 drones overnight into Tuesday, the Ukrainian Air Force has said in its daily update.
Ukrainian air defences shot down or jammed around 110 Russian drones in Ukraine’s north, south and east, added.
Around 70 of these were Shahed attack drones, it said.
Authorities have recorded thirteen drone strikes at six locations, while falling drone debris was reported at two locations.
The force said that the attack was ongoing as of 8:30am local time (6:30am GMT).
Earthquake strikes Russia's Krasnodar region
Tuesday 10 February 2026 08:04 , 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
Russian attack damages Odesa energy facility
Tuesday 10 February 2026 07:41 , Alex CroftA Russian attack has damaged an energy facility in Ukraine's southern region of Odesa, power company DTEK said on Tuesday.
"The damage is extensive. Repairs will take a long time to restore the equipment to working order," DTEK said on the Telegram messaging app.
We’ll bring you more on the strike as it comes in.
Russia's Lavrov accuses Trump of backtracking on Alaska agreement
Tuesday 10 February 2026 07:21 , Arpan RaiRussia has accused the Donald Trump administration of not implementing the agreements between Vladimir Putin and the US president in Alaska.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said the US had backtracked on what he called the “Anchorage agreements” between Trump and Putin during their meeting in August last year.
He suggested the US had told Russia it could get Ukraine to give up the whole of the Donbas region in order to end the fighting – something Kyiv had previously ruled out.
“They tell us that the Ukrainian issue needs to be resolved. In Anchorage, we accepted the proposal of the US," Lavrov told Russian TB Brics yesterday.
"They made an offer, we agreed, and the problem should have been resolved. It seems that they proposed it and we were ready – and now they are not."
The senior Russian minister said that despite declarations of moving toward a “full-scale, broad cooperation”, the US is pursuing an “anti-Russian policy”.
Pointing to new sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, Lavrov said: "In practice, everything looks the opposite: new sanctions are being introduced, and a war against (shadow fleet) tankers is being waged on the high seas.”
Senior Russian diplomat: No one talks about security guarantees for us
Tuesday 10 February 2026 07:11 , Arpan RaiAn agreement to settle the nearly four-year-old conflict between Russia and Ukraine must also take into consideration security guarantees for Russia, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted as saying.
“We recognise that a peace settlement in Ukraine must take account of Ukraine’s security interests, but a key factor, of course, is Russia’s security interests,” deputy Russian foreign minister Alexander Grushko told the Izvestia media outlet.
“If you look carefully and study the statements made by the leaders of the European Union, no one talks about security guarantees for Russia. This is a key element of a peace accord. Without it, an agreement is impossible.”
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have held two rounds of talks in recent weeks with US representatives in the United Arab Emirates. No peace deal has emerged, but the two sides agreed at their latest meeting last week on the first exchange of prisoners of war in five months.
Security guarantees for Ukraine have been a focal point of discussions, along with the extent of Russia’s control of Ukrainian territory and plans for post-war recovery in Kyiv.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that documents on security guarantees for Ukraine were ready.
Media outlet Izvestia said Grushko listed elements of what might be contained in such guarantees.
Ukrainian skeleton racer wears helmet paying tribute to athletes killed in war
Tuesday 10 February 2026 07:04 , Arpan RaiUkrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych trained wearing a helmet brandished with images of compatriots killed during the war in his homeland, delivering on a promise to use the Winter Olympics to keep attention on the conflict.
Visible on the helmet are teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diving athlete and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.
“Some of them were my friends,” Heraskevych, who is his country's flag bearer, told Reuters of the portraits after his training session at the Cortina sliding centre.
Ukrainian skeleton star wears helmet with athletes killed in war at Winter Olympics
Pope Leo sends generators, medicines and food for winter-stricken Ukrainians
Tuesday 10 February 2026 06:51 , Arpan RaiPope Leo XIV said he is sending 80 electric generators and thousands of medical supplies to Ukraine, extending help to millions of civilians facing harsh winter temperatures amid Russian attacks.
The Vatican announced that the Dicastery for the Service of Charity has sent three lorries carrying 80 electricity generators to the country at the pope’s request.
“Night-time temperatures are falling to minus 15 degrees Celsius, while daytime temperatures range between minus 10 and minus 12 degrees. Many people have been forced to leave their homes in order to find warmth in heated shelters where, thanks to the generators, they are also able to receive a hot meal,” the statement said.
Thousands of medicines, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, supplements and melatonin, have also been dispatched due to “demand as it helps people sleep amid ongoing fear and constant stress”, the Vatican said.
Why does Russia want Pokrovsk?
Tuesday 10 February 2026 06:37 , Arpan RaiRussia wants to take the whole of the Donbas region, which comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. Ukraine still controls about 10 per cent of Donbas - an area of about 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles) in western Donetsk.
President Vladimir Putin claims the Donbas is now legally part of Russia, after his forces seized the provinces' regional capitals and carried out a local "referendum" on joining Russia. The international community has rejected this as an illegal land grab.
Capturing Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk" by Russian media, and Kostiantynivka to the northeast which Russian forces are also trying to envelop, would give Moscow its most important single territorial gain inside Ukraine since it took the ruined city of Avdiivka in early 2024.
It would also would give Moscow a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk - Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
Putin would never have stopped if not for Ukrainian army, says Klitschko
Tuesday 10 February 2026 06:15 , Arpan RaiKyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says there is no limit to the expansionist goals of Russia's Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian army would "never" have stopped if not for Ukraine's resistance.
Klitschko was speaking to MPs in the UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday.
“That's why my message is that only together, we can stop Putin. Because Putin would go so far as we allow him to go,” he said.
“Ukraine, if we were not successful, definitely Putin [would] never [have] stopped in Ukraine,” he said.
He also said that Ukraine is fighting against “one of the strongest and biggest armies, [the] Russian army” which it has been “successfully defending” against for four years.
Klitschko described Russia’s war as “genocide”, saying that the east of Ukraine is “totally destroyed”.“[Russia] destroyed the cities, destroyed the villages, destroyed a big part of our homeland,” he said.
Watch: Child and mother among four killed in Russian drone and missile strikes
Tuesday 10 February 2026 06:08 , Arpan RaiStill a long way to go in talks on Ukraine, Russia's Lavrov says
Tuesday 10 February 2026 05:42 , Arpan RaiRussia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said there was no reason to be excited about US president Donald Trump’s pressure on Europe and Ukraine as there is still "a long way to go" in peace talks.
His remarks come a day after he dampened hopes for an economic cooperation deal with the Trump administration, decrying the US’s declared aim of “economic dominance”.
"We also don't see any bright future in the economic sphere," Lavrov said.
Looking to cash in on wartime tech, Ukraine opens up arms exports
Tuesday 10 February 2026 05:21 , Arpan RaiUkraine 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.
Ukraine-born Trowbridge singer raises funds for citizens back home
Tuesday 10 February 2026 04:51 , Arpan RaiYana Kozah, a Ukrainian singer and songwriter who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion, is now using her voice to perform and raise funds to help people back at home.
The Trowbridge resident sings in a choir and even performs solo so that she can raise money for John's Red Bus, a UK charity delivering aid.
“[In Ukraine,] people are without heating, no light. Sometimes you wish you could not read the news but then you remember these people are living it, they cannot turn it off," Kozah told BBC West Point.
She has previously raised funds for Ukrainian children.
“The main reason I'm trying to do what I'm doing is to help my country in ways I can," she said.
After 4 long years, US figure skater reunites with family from war-torn Ukraine at the Olympics
Tuesday 10 February 2026 04:31 , Arpan RaiIt had been four long years since American figure skater Vadym Kolesnik saw family members still living in Ukraine.
Four years of Russian bombs landing on Kharkiv, reducing their homes to rubble. Four years of war that destroyed the appliance and lighting business run by Kolesnik's father, Igor. Four years of drones flying over the head of his brother, also named Igor, who enlisted in the Ukrainian army following the Russian invasion in 2022.
“It seems like it's been a lifetime,” Kolesnik said.
After 4 long years, US figure skater reunites with family from war-torn Ukraine at the Olympics
Watch: Russian strike on Odesa kills one and damages residential building
Tuesday 10 February 2026 04:20 , Arpan RaiRussian forces look to finalise control over Pokrovsk
Tuesday 10 February 2026 03:53 , Arpan RaiRussian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's military said on Monday, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region.
Ukraine has struggled to halt slow Russian advances around Pokrovsk and elsewhere along the 1,200-km (746-mile) front line while it comes under U.S. pressure to reach a peace deal to end the four-year war in ongoing talks.
Kyiv's General Staff said on Monday its forces still held the northern part of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 60,000, and were also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby.
Pokrovsk, a railway nexus, has been the site of fierce fighting since last year. Its fall would mark Russia's biggest battlefield victory since it seized the eastern city of Avdiivka in early 2024.
Moscow claimed late last year to have captured Pokrovsk, which Kyiv denied.
Ukraine and France launch joint weapon production
Tuesday 10 February 2026 03:32 , Arpan RaiUkraine and France will start joint weapons production, Kyiv’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said yesterday after a meeting with French armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin.
“Met with a French MoD delegation led by @CaVautrin. Visited Ukrainian air-defense positions against the backdrop of the latest Russian missile and drone attacks. Demonstrated how Ukraine protects its skies every day. Grateful to France for the strong support that saves lives,” Fedorov said.
In a message on Telegram, he added: “We are moving from supplies to joint production and long-term solutions that systematically strengthen our defence.”
Met with a French MoD delegation led by @CaVautrin. Visited Ukrainian air-defense positions against the backdrop of the latest Russian missile and drone attacks. Demonstrated how Ukraine protects its skies every day. Grateful to France for the strong support that saves lives. pic.twitter.com/RySJ3ELGWZ
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 9, 2026
Ukrainian skeleton racer wears helmet paying tribute to athletes killed in war
Tuesday 10 February 2026 03:20 , Arpan RaiUkrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych trained wearing a helmet brandished with images of compatriots killed during the war in his homeland, delivering on a promise to use the Winter Olympics to keep attention on the conflict.
Visible on the helmet are teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diving athlete and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.
“Some of them were my friends,” Heraskevych, who is his country's flag bearer, told Reuters of the portraits after his training session at the Cortina sliding centre.
Ukrainian skeleton star wears helmet with athletes killed in war at Winter Olympics
Senior Russian diplomat: No one talks about security guarantees for us
Tuesday 10 February 2026 03:09 , Arpan RaiAn agreement to settle the nearly four-year-old conflict between Russia and Ukraine must also take into consideration security guarantees for Russia, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted as saying.
“We recognise that a peace settlement in Ukraine must take account of Ukraine’s security interests, but a key factor, of course, is Russia’s security interests,” deputy Russian foreign minister Alexander Grushko told the Izvestia media outlet.
“If you look carefully and study the statements made by the leaders of the European Union, no one talks about security guarantees for Russia. This is a key element of a peace accord. Without it, an agreement is impossible.”
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have held two rounds of talks in recent weeks with US representatives in the United Arab Emirates. No peace deal has emerged, but the two sides agreed at their latest meeting last week on the first exchange of prisoners of war in five months.
Security guarantees for Ukraine have been a focal point of discussions, along with the extent of Russia’s control of Ukrainian territory and plans for post-war recovery in Kyiv.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that documents on security guarantees for Ukraine were ready.
Media outlet Izvestia said Mr Grushko listed elements of what might be contained in such guarantees.
Zelensky says Ukraine is preparing for 'next trilateral meetings' after Abu Dhabi talks
Tuesday 10 February 2026 03:00 , Alex CroftAutonomy is not intelligence: why the future of unmanned systems must remain human
Tuesday 10 February 2026 02:00 , Alex CroftIn the midst of Russia’s war against Ukraine, one idea has gained remarkable traction: that fully autonomous drones represent the future of defence. Fewer humans, more machines, faster outcomes. Autonomy, in this narrative, is treated as a proxy for progress and often even for intelligence.
This is a dangerous misconception.
Ukraine’s ongoing resistance against Russia has shown the world, in the starkest possible terms, how profoundly modern warfare has changed. Large, expensive and slow-to-adapt systems are no longer the decisive factor. Instead, smaller, software-defined unmanned systems dominate the battlefield because they are fast to adapt, cost-efficient and integrated into a broader information ecosystem.
Read more here:
Autonomy is not intelligence: why the future of unmanned systems must remain human
Russian forces look to finalise control over Pokrovsk
Tuesday 10 February 2026 01:02 , Alex CroftRussian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's military said on Monday, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region.
Ukraine has struggled to halt slow Russian advances around Pokrovsk and elsewhere along the 1,200-km (746-mile) front line while it comes under U.S. pressure to reach a peace deal to end the four-year war in ongoing talks.
Kyiv's General Staff said on Monday its forces still held the northern part of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 60,000, and were also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby.
Pokrovsk, a railway nexus, has been the site of fierce fighting since last year. Its fall would mark Russia's biggest battlefield victory since it seized the eastern city of Avdiivka in early 2024.
Moscow claimed late last year to have captured Pokrovsk, which Kyiv denied.
Russian attack damages Ukrainian oil company production site
Tuesday 10 February 2026 00:02 , Alex CroftRussian attacks damaged production sites of Ukraine's state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz in the Poltava and Sumy regions, the company's CEO said on Monday.
The facilities in the Poltava region came under attack for a second day in a row, Sergii Koretskyi said on Facebook, adding it was the 20th attack on the company's infrastructure since the start of the year.
Russian strike on Odesa kills one and damages residential building
Monday 9 February 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftPutin would not have stopped in Ukraine, says Klitschko
Monday 9 February 2026 22:01 , Alex CroftVitalii Klitschko earlier spoke about the intentions of Russian president Vladimir Putin - and says his army would not have stopped with Ukraine if it weren’t stopped by the Ukrainian army.
The mayor of Kyiv was speaking to MPs in the UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
“That's why my message is that only together, we can stop Putin. Because Putin would go so far as far we allow him to go,” he said.
“Ukraine, if we were not successful, definitely Putin [would] never [have] stopped in Ukraine,” he says, adding that he would have gone “as far” as he was allowed to go.
Klitschko accuses Russian army of 'genocide'
Monday 9 February 2026 21:03 , Alex CroftWe heard earlier from Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko, who was speaking via video link to the UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
He says Ukraine is fighting against “one of the strongest and biggest armies, [the] Russian army” which it has been “successfully defending” for four years.
Mr Klitschko describes Russia’s war as “genocide”, describing the east of Ukraine as “totally destroyed”.
“[Russia] destroyed the cities, destroyed the villages, destroyed big part of our homeland,” he adds.
Vladimir Alexeyev shooting: All we know about ‘attempted assassination’ of Putin’s senior general
Monday 9 February 2026 20:01 , 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.
Read the full report:
Vladimir Alexeyev: Everything we know about the shooting of senior Putin general
Ukraine will launch drone production in Germany by mid-February, Zelensky says
Monday 9 February 2026 18:59 , Alex CroftUkraine is set to launch drone production in Germany by mid-February, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
In a post on X, he wrote: “Today, we are opening exports. Ten export centers across Europe will be operating as early as 2026 – in the Baltic and Nordic states. Ten representative offices will be active in 2026.
“By mid-February, we will already see the production of our drones in Germany.”
Ukrainian foreign minister says only 'Trump can stop the war'
Monday 9 February 2026 18:02 , Alex CroftUkrainian and Russian leaders need to meet in person to hash out the hardest remaining issues in peace talks, Kyiv’s foreign minister has said, adding that only US president Donald Trump has the power to bring about an agreement.
"Only Trump can stop the war," Sybiha told Reuters in his office in Kyiv, close to the Dnipro river.
From a 20-point peace plan that has formed the basis of recent trilateral negotiations, only "a few" items remain outstanding, Sybiha said.
"The most sensitive and most difficult, to be dealt with at the leaders' level."
Sybiha said Ukraine wants to accelerate the efforts to end the four-yer-old war and capitalise on the momentum in the US-brokered talks before other factors come into play, such as campaigning for the US Congressional mid-term elections in November.
Russian forces strike energy facility in northwestern Ukraine
Monday 9 February 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftRussian forces have attacked an energy facility in Ukraine’s northwestern Volyn region, Novovolynsk mayor Borys Karpus said.
"The enemy struck an energy facility near the Novovolynsk hromada [settlement] again last night,” Mr Karpus said in a post on Facebook.
Water is being supplied via the electricity network, he said. Wastewater treatment plants are requiring generators to function, and some boiler houses have also switched to generator power.
He added: "The boilers are being fired up. Fuel is available. All the appropriate services have been deployed. The situation is under control.”
Zelensky confirms of another overnight Russian attack amidst ongoing negotiations
Monday 9 February 2026 16:25 , Alex CroftSport Winter Olympics Who are AIN athletes at the Winter Olympics and is Russia banned?
Monday 9 February 2026 15:52 , Alex CroftThis year’s Winter Olympics, which officially kick off on 6 February in Milan, will feature athletes from 92 different countries.
But two will be conspicuous by their absence: Russia and Belarus.
Both countries were suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2023 for violating the Olympic Charter, meaning they cannot compete at the Winter Olympics.
That ban remains in place but some individual athletes from those countries are allowed to participate in Milano-Cortina, albeit under a neutral flag.
Read more here:
Who are AIN athletes at the Winter Olympics and is Russia banned?
Russian forces look to finalise control over Pokrovsk
Monday 9 February 2026 15:20 , Alex CroftRussian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's military said on Monday, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region.
Ukraine has struggled to halt slow Russian advances around Pokrovsk and elsewhere along the 1,200-km (746-mile) front line while it comes under U.S. pressure to reach a peace deal to end the four-year war in ongoing talks.
Kyiv's General Staff said on Monday its forces still held the northern part of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 60,000, and were also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby.
Pokrovsk, a railway nexus, has been the site of fierce fighting since last year. Its fall would mark Russia's biggest battlefield victory since it seized the eastern city of Avdiivka in early 2024.
Moscow claimed late last year to have captured Pokrovsk, which Kyiv denied.
Russian attack damages Ukrainian oil company production site
Monday 9 February 2026 14:48 , Alex CroftRussian attacks damaged production sites of Ukraine's state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz in the Poltava and Sumy regions, the company's CEO said on Monday.
The facilities in the Poltava region came under attack for a second day in a row, Sergii Koretskyi said on Facebook, adding it was the 20th attack on the company's infrastructure since the start of the year.
