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Taganrog hit by drone attack as air defenses respond
12 days ago•Source: The Kyiv Independent
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Ukraine Claims Baltic Drone Strike Damaged Russian Icebreaker Pruga
Ukrainian forces say a mass drone attack hit the Russian patrol icebreaker Pruga at the Vyborg shipyard in the Baltic Sea, marking the first known successful strike on a Russian military vessel in the region. The strike occurred amid a broader wave of Ukrainian drone activity across Russia, with attacks reported on Crimea and other sites as air defenses claimed many drones were shot down.
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Zelensky says Russia continues sharing intelligence with Iran, backed by irrefutable evidence
The Kyiv Independent•18 days ago
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Ukraine Fires Drones at Moscow Again, Fourth Straight Day of Attacks
The Kyiv Independent•25 days ago
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Ukraine mulls Patriot-for-interceptor drone swap to counter Shahed drone threat
President Zelensky floated a quid‑pro‑quo: trading U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukrainian interceptor drones to blunt Iran‑backed Shahed drone attacks, highlighting a PAC‑3 shortage and urging allies to supply interceptors in an equal exchange to better defend Ukrainian skies.
First fiber‑optic FPV drone reaches Kharkiv, prosecutors say
Ukraine’s Kharkiv region reports a Russian FPV drone reached the city via a fiber‑optic cable for the first time since the full‑scale invasion. The drone hit a tree in the Kyivskyi district around 3 p.m. on Feb. 25; no casualties were reported, and the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office opened a pre‑trial investigation. Fiber‑optic FPV drones extend range and can evade electronic warfare, with countermeasures mainly limited to physical destruction or obstruction; Kharkiv’s proximity to Russian‑occupied areas makes this development notable in the evolving drone warfare.
Ukraine claims 400 sq km liberated, eight settlements on southern front
Ukraine says its forces have liberated about 400 square kilometers and eight settlements on the southern front since late January, per Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. He noted gains in the Oleksandrivka direction, but warned the situation remains complicated as Russian forces continue artillery, drones, and infiltration attempts.
Missile strikes across Russia lash Belgorod as oil hub in Tatarstan is hit
Missile strikes hit Russia overnight, causing Belgorod to suffer blackouts and disrupting electricity, water, and heating; reports also cited blasts in other cities and an attack on the Kaleikino oil-pumping station in Tatarstan, underscoring renewed targeting of Russia’s energy infrastructure amid the war. Ukrainian comment on the strikes was not available at publication.
Ukraine says it struck BK-16 craft in Crimea along with targets in occupied territories
Ukraine’s General Staff says its forces hit Russia’s BK-16 landing craft in the Novoozerne area of occupied Crimea on Feb. 12, along with a radar station in Crimea and a communications node in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast; on Feb. 13, Ukraine reportedly struck a Russian ammunition depot near Novoeokonomichne in Donetsk Oblast. Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014, and Kyiv says it will continue strikes to weaken Russia’s military potential.
Ukrainian drones hit oil depot in southern Russia, officials report
Ukrainian drones struck several targets in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai overnight Feb. 14–15, including an oil depot in the Volna area; fires were reported and two people were injured as a large emergency response was mobilized. In Sochi, debris damaged a house, and air raid sirens were heard earlier that day. Kyiv has framed energy infrastructure as a military target and has carried out strikes inside Russia to undermine Moscow’s war effort.
Media Verification Pinpoints 177,433 Russian Deaths in Ukraine
Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, identifies 177,433 Russian military fatalities in Ukraine as of February 13, with 9,291 added since early February. The tally breaks down into 57,200 volunteers, 21,400 recruited prisoners, 17,000 mobilized soldiers, and 6,414 officers. Moscow does not publish official casualty figures, while Zelensky cited Ukrainian deaths and Ukraine’s General Staff estimates Russia has lost about 1,251,000 troops since February 2022; experts warn the real toll is higher due to reliance on publicly available records such as obituaries and local reporting.
NK Forces Expand Footprint in Russia: About 11,000 North Korean Troops in Kursk by 2026
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service says roughly 11,000 North Korean troops—about 10,000 combat forces and 1,000 engineers—are stationed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast as of early 2026 to back Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The report adds that around 1,100 soldiers who returned from the front in December 2025 could be redeployed, and NK casualties in Kursk are cited at about 6,000 by the NIS, with UK defense intelligence placing losses above that figure, underscoring a deepening North Korea–Russia military partnership.
Pope Leo XIV Delivers Generators and Medical Supplies to Ukraine
The Vatican says Pope Leo XIV sent 80 electric generators and thousands of medical supplies to Ukraine to help civilians endure freezing winter temperatures and ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure; a further shipment of medicine and food is being prepared, coordinated through parish networks across Ukraine.
Ukraine says it wiped out thousands of FPV drones in large-scale strike on Russian targets
Ukraine’s General Staff says it destroyed about 6,000 FPV drones and components in a large overnight strike on Russian military targets, including a Rostov-on-Don drone warehouse; other hits targeted a Russian airborne troops command post in Sudzha, an ammunition depot near Novooleksiivka, and a fuel-component plant in Tver Oblast, underscoring Kyiv’s focus on disrupting Russia’s drone production and military logistics.