[Korrespondent] 22.45 US President Donald Trump said that the war in Ukraine turned out to be more difficult than he expected, and his previous expectations regarding its course did not come true.
"We have a first year that is probably unparalleled in our country, because we have ended eight wars, and I think the ninth is still ahead. It turned out to be more difficult. I thought it would be the easiest," the American leader said.
21.49 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has scheduled a special meeting with the participants of the negotiating group on further steps and decisions for February 20.
"Today, all participants of our negotiating group will be in Ukraine. And for tomorrow I have scheduled a special meeting with them regarding our further steps, our decisions. There will be a report here, in Kyiv, regarding those aspects of the negotiations that should not be discussed over the phone," Zelenskyy said.
In addition, the meeting participants will determine the further framework for the conversation with partners, with the European, American, and Russian sides.
20.53 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, who took office on January 1 of this year.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine expects the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to increase support for Ukrainians who are forced to live under constant Russian attacks.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the consequences of the Russian Federation's attacks on the Ukrainian energy system and the necessary assistance.
20.36 Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia held a meeting with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, Diplomatic Advisor to the Chairman of the Italian Council of Ministers Fabrizio Saggio, and representatives of Italian security structures.
The parties discussed defense, energy, and economic support for Ukraine, and also synchronized positions on further steps in cooperation.
Separate meetings were also held with the leadership of the largest defense companies. They discussed strengthening the Ukrainian defense industry, in particular, developing air defense capabilities to protect cities.
18.59 Ukrainian defense forces are reducing the "gray zone" in the Zaporizhia direction and preventing Russian occupiers from advancing deeper into the country's territory. This was stated by the spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn, during a telethon.
18.44 Russian forces launched a UAV strike on a private farm in the village of Dvorichny Kut, Solontsivska community, Kharkiv district. The attack resulted in damage and a fire on the roof of the farm building. The area of ​​the fire was 40 sq. m.
A farm worker, a man born in 1967, was injured, and about 100 pigs died.
17.59 An indictment against a 34-year-old Russian serviceman suspected of raping a 16-year-old girl during the occupation of the Kherson region has been sent to court. The National Police reported this.
17.58 Moscow is not commenting on the results of the talks in Geneva on the settlement of the war in Ukraine, as they are currently at a stage that should not involve public discussion, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
17.49 22 people have been notified of suspicion for the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children from the Donetsk and Kherson regions. Four indictments against 11 people have already been sent to court. In addition, sanctions have been applied to 255 individuals and 53 legal entities involved in these crimes.
17.10 Since the beginning of the current day, 98 combat clashes between the Ukrainian army and the Russian invaders have taken place on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational summary. Almost a third of the Russian assaults are concentrated in the Pokrovsky direction. There, the Defense Forces have already repelled 22 attacks.
16.52 The assets of Russian businessman Vadim Zarubin, who is involved in financing the Russian Federation's war against our state, have been arrested in Ukraine. The SBU reported this. These include 13 commercial real estate properties and corporate rights to eight mining companies in Ukraine.
16.43 The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine spoke about the characteristics of American AIM missiles, which have been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine for several years and the next batch of which will be transferred to Ukraine by Canada in the near future.
"American AIM missiles have been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine for several years. In particular, they are successfully used from F-16 aircraft and NASAMS ground-based air defense systems. The most convenient targets for them are enemy helicopters, jet drones, and cruise missiles," the Ministry of Defense noted.
16.19 The Security Service and the National Police have uncovered four new mobilization evasion schemes and detained the organizers of the deals in various regions of Ukraine. For amounts ranging from $12,000 to $18,000, the dealers offered conscripts to avoid conscription through forged documents or helped them escape abroad beyond checkpoints.
16.08 Sweden will provide Ukraine with 21 military aid packages worth 12.9 billion kronor (over 1.4 billion dollars), Swedish National Television (SVT) reported.
The military aid package includes anti-aircraft systems, long-range weapon systems, and ammunition.
15.03 Russia has recruited over a thousand Kenyan citizens to participate in the war against Ukraine, using tourist visa schemes and promises of high salaries, Le Monde reported, citing a Kenyan member of parliament.
"To date, over 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited and sent to fight in the Russian-Ukrainian war," MP Kimani Ichungwah told the Kenyan parliament, citing a joint report by the intelligence services and the Criminal Investigation Department. The figure is significantly higher than the 200 Kenyans previously cited by authorities.
14.45 The Ukrainian defense industry has demonstrated unprecedented growth during the full-scale war. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense.
"Production capacities have increased 50 times - to $50 billion. Thanks to this, domestic manufacturers already provide more than half of the Defense Forces' needs for weapons," said Hanna Hvozdiar, Advisor to the Minister of Defense.
14.20 From February 20, from 00:00 to 03:00, it will not be possible to receive services or update your Reserve ID in the Reserve+ application. During this time, the Oberig registry will undergo scheduled technical work.
On July 14, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a daily selector on the situation in the regions with electricity and heat supply, the topics of which were restoration work and providing for people in some regions. He reported this on Telegram.
14.06 A small number of Russian military personnel, who are unable to resist the Defense Forces, still remain in Kupyansk. This was reported by Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Joint Forces Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the air of the United News.
The head of state criticized the Kyiv authorities for allowing an "internal catastrophe" this winter.
13:44 The Defense Forces are conducting counterattacks and assault operations in the Oleksandrivka direction, restraining the advance of Russian troops towards the Dnipropetrovsk region. This was reported by the spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn, Ukrinform reports.
"The situation there is quite difficult, but the Defense Forces of Ukraine are destroying the enemy, trying to prevent him from advancing towards the Dnipropetrovsk region, towards the settlement of Pokrovske," Voloshyn explained.
Ukrainian units continue active combat operations to contain the advance of enemy troops and stabilize the situation on this section of the front.
13.32 There are widespread power outages in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the so-called governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram.
"Due to the enemy's fire, there are widespread power outages. In the coming days, temporary power outages are possible in Belgorod, Rakityansk, Ivnyansk, Krasnoyaruz, Borisov, Hrayvoronsk, Shebekinsky, Belgorod, Yakovlev, Korochansky, and Prokhorovsky districts," he wrote.
12.44 In the center of Kropyvnytskyi, an attempt was prevented on an official of one of the state institutions responsible for the defense training of the population in the Kirovohrad region. An FSB agent was detained, the SBU reported.
12.43 Defense forces retain control over Nikiforivka, Nelipivka, Novye Shakhove, and Zatyshko in the Donetsk region and are not allowing Russian units to gain a foothold in these settlements. This was reported by Major Hryhoriy Shapoval, spokesman for the East Group of Forces, in a comment to Ukrinform.
"Despite the enemy's loud statements, these settlements are under the control of the Defense Forces in the Donetsk region," he noted.
11.05 On Thursday morning, eight regions of Ukraine experienced new power outages due to Russian shelling and bad weather, Ukrenergo reported. The Russian army carried out targeted strikes on the energy infrastructure of five regions.
9.50 AM Air defense forces neutralized 29 of the 37 drones used by the Russians to attack Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force reported this on February 18. Strike drones were hit at four locations.
9.19 Partisans carried out a sabotage action in Lipetsk, Russia, which resulted in the destruction of a communications tower involved in data transmission and coordination of the power structures of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the partisan movement ATESH. It is noted that the 924th combat use and retraining center for personnel of unmanned aircraft units, the Lipetsk military airfield and the 260th arsenal of the Main Directorate of Missile and Artillery Management (GRAU) were located in the zone of operation of the tower.
8.47 On the front line over the past 24 hours, 237 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian invaders were recorded. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 19. Missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck two command posts, three areas of concentration of manpower, an electronic warfare station and a Russian cannon.
7.50 Over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces neutralized 830 invaders and over 500 units of weapons and military equipment of the occupiers. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 19. The total combat losses of the Russians from 24.02.22 to 19.02.26 were approximately 1,256,910 people.
7.23 Russian troops shelled the Lozova community in the Kharkiv region. The largest boiler house in Lozova and water supply facilities were damaged. Thousands of people were left without water and heat. This was reported by the mayor of Lozova, Serhiy Zelensky. According to him, as a result of the Russian attack, the largest boiler house in Lozova was cut off - almost 16 thousand subscribers depend on it. Also, the enemy attack caused damage to critical infrastructure, and serious problems with water supply arose.
04.45 Ukrainians will not agree to voluntarily give Donbas to Russia even under difficult conditions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an interview. He emphasized that Donbas is part of Ukrainian independence and values, and tens of thousands of Ukrainians died defending it.
01.36 In the city of Velikiy Luki, Pskov region, UAVs attacked an oil depot. An epic fire broke out at the site of arrival.
00.22 The Russian authorities have decided not to block the Telegram messenger for their military for now. This decision was made after sharp criticism from Z-military personnel, who emphasized that Telegram is actively used by the Russian military in Ukraine for communication.