Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] In Dagestan and the Chelyabinsk region, FSB and Ministry of Internal Affairs officers detained members of a criminal group associated with the Artakovsky organized crime group. This was reported by REN TV, citing its sources, on February 17.
According to him, the leader of the criminal group was also connected with Artak Varosyan, who is in pre-trial detention, and his supporters.
"Searchs were conducted at 22 addresses, and prohibited items and substances, as well as large sums of money, were seized," the TV channel said in a statement.
Varosyan was arrested in Chelyabinsk in late November 2025. He was charged with large-scale extortion under threat of violence. It is believed that, since the early 2000s, Varosyan led a Chelyabinsk criminal group engaged in extortion, corporate raiding, illegal trafficking of precious metals, and other activities.
Earlier, on January 29, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court upheld the ruling designating the Makhoninsky organized crime group as extremist. It also ordered the group's assets, totaling 2.5 billion rubles, to be handed over to the state. The Makhoninsky group owns a total of 109 properties and 12 vehicles. Furthermore, the group, through its subordinate companies and trusted individuals included among the co-defendants in the case, owns the majority of retail outlets in Chelyabinsk, as well as a number of companies.
On November 14, FSB officers detained Alexander Makhonin, the head of the Makhoninsky organized crime group, in Chelyabinsk. A court then declared the group extremist.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 23.54 Negotiations in the political group in Geneva have "stuck" due to the positions presented by Russia's new chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing sources.
22.50 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed his team to raise the issue of holding a personal meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Geneva to discuss territorial issues.
22.22 The people of Ukraine will reject a peace agreement in a referendum if it involves the "transfer" of Donbas to Russia. And they will likely support freezing the current front line. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive... me, they will not forgive (the USA - ed.)," the head of state said, adding that Ukrainians "cannot understand" why they are being asked to give up these territories.
"This is a part of our country, all these citizens, the flag, the land," the head of state emphasized.
If the agreement simply freezes the current front line in Donbas, as is planned in the other two regions where fighting is taking place, Zelensky believes the people of Ukraine will accept it.
22.05 Russian forces launched a drone strike on Zaporizhia. Residential buildings were damaged. Initially, one woman was reported injured, but it was later learned that she had died from her injuries.
Six people are currently known to have been injured as a result of the Russian strike. Two children, including two children, required medical attention.
21.25 Ukraine is serious about ending the war, while Russia carried out massive shelling even on the day of the talks in Geneva. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The delegation will report today - after the first round of talks in Geneva. The guys should definitely ask questions about these strikes - questions primarily to the American side, which suggested both us and Russia to refrain from strikes. Ukraine is ready. We do not need war," the head of state said.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is not interested in continuing the war and is acting "mirror-like", defending its state and independence.
The President added that the key question remains for Russia - whether it is ready for real diplomacy and peace, and whether there will be consequences for continuing missile and drone attacks.
21.00 Units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have struck hundreds of important Russian military and energy facilities deep inside the Russian Federation and in temporarily occupied territories since the beginning of 2026.
In the first 48 days of the year alone, Ukrainian drones attacked over 240 targets, including oil and fuel and defense infrastructure enterprises, energy facilities, airfields, air defense systems, and radar stations.
20.43 Russia is deliberately attacking American enterprises on the territory of Ukraine, in particular the Boeing office in Kyiv, the Flex plant in Mukachevo, and the Bunge enterprise in Dnipro. This was reported by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiga.
"Russia is attacking not only the Ukrainian people, but also the American taxpayer. These are attacks on the American economy," Sibiga noted.
According to the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, 47% of American companies were affected by Russian strikes, 57% had employees injured, and 38% had employees killed.
20.24 The first day of trilateral negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine, the US and Russia ended in Geneva.
"After the joint part, work continued in groups by direction. Discussions focused on practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions. As of today, both the political and military blocs have completed their work," said Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov.
The results of the first day of talks in Geneva will be reported to the President of Ukraine today. Tomorrow morning, the political and military groups will continue their work.
19.11 The United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany sent their representatives to the third round of talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia in Geneva. This was reported by the newspaper La Repubblica .
Russian media claim that the talks in Geneva are proceeding "in at least five directions."
18.52 The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports on the high effectiveness of measures to block unregistered Starlink satellite Internet terminals. At the same time, Russian analogues are unable to provide the necessary quality of communication. The GUR reported this on its Facebook page.
18.44 On Wednesday , electricity outage schedules will be in effect again in all regions of Ukraine . This was reported by Ukrenergo. The reason for the permanent restrictions is the consequences of regular Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.
18.16 As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 2,000 children have already been returned to Ukraine . This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
18.03 In Volyn, two servicemen from one of the district CCCs helped men of mobilization age resolve issues related to conscription. $1,500 for a search session in the Oberig system, $2,500 for a smooth update of their credentials.
Both suspects were detained. They were both declared under suspicion. For extortion and receiving illegal benefits from military personnel, the CCK can face up to 10 years in prison.
17.58 Two Russian servicemen surrendered in the North-Slobozhansk direction, and then called on their colleagues over a loudspeaker to also lay down their arms. The 158th separate mechanized brigade reported this on its Facebook page.
17.49 In Kyiv, heat was restored to 2,600 houses that were left without heat supply as a result of the attack by Russian invaders on February 12. This was announced by Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
17.49 The European Union's attempt to impose sanctions on foreign ports and banks that Russia uses to sell oil in circumvention of restrictions has faced resistance from some member states. This could significantly weaken the new sanctions package, Bloomberg reports.
As noted, a number of countries have expressed reservations about proposals to impose restrictions on ports in Georgia and Indonesia. In particular, Italy and Hungary opposed sanctions on the port of Kulevi in Georgia, and Greece and Malta opposed sanctions on one of the ports in Indonesia.
17:40 The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted a video of air defense combat work on its Facebook page.
17.21 As a result of Russian shelling, critical infrastructure in the Kherson community was damaged, leading to a power outage in part of the city.
Currently, many household consumers and life support facilities in the Dnipro district remain without electricity. Also, water supply disruptions are possible in the KhBK area and in the central part of Kherson in the evening.
17.03 Special Forces of the SBU's Alpha Special Operations Center carried out precise strikes on key elements of military infrastructure in the Russian rear. FP-2 drones with 105 kg warheads were used.
16.33 Since the beginning of the current day and as of 16:00, 53 combat clashes have occurred on the front, which is significantly less than yesterday's figure. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational summary.
The enemy is most active in the Hulyaipil direction, where units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled 16 attacks.
15.20 The third round of talks in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, Russia – has begun in Geneva, Switzerland. This was reported by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov on Telegram. According to him, security and humanitarian issues are on the agenda.
14.39 During the day, Russian troops attacked one of the hospitals in Kherson with drones, dropping explosives on a 46-year-old nurse. She received an explosive and closed head injury. This was reported by the Kherson OVA on February 17. It is also noted that at noon a 64-year-old man was hit by enemy fire. He was diagnosed with an explosive injury and shrapnel wounds to the leg.
14.33 Drones struck the Metafrax Chemicals chemical plant in the city of Gubakha, Perm Territory. This was reported by the ASTRA Telegram channel.
According to local residents, the enterprise was hit by at least four drone strikes, after which a fire broke out. Workers were sent to a bomb shelter.
14.28 Latvia is allocating 10 million euros as part of the PURL initiative , which involves the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. This was announced by Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silinė on the social network X.
14.07 On Tuesday night, Ukrainian military personnel hit a Ka-27 helicopter and three enemy drone control points in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of Ukraine and on the territory of the Russian Federation. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
13.45 Ukraine is systematically scaling up the use of ground robotic complexes on the battlefield. These are no longer isolated cases, but the daily practice of units. This was reported by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, in January alone, more than 7,000 missions were carried out using NRCs. The vast majority are logistical tasks on the front line. These are thousands of operations that were previously carried out by the military under fire.
13.33 On Tuesday night, Ukrainian military personnel struck the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
A communications hub, a logistics facility, and enemy concentration areas on the TOT were also hit.
13.08 Law enforcement officers detained a Russian agent within 24 hours who committed a terrorist attack in Odessa on the morning of February 16 this year. The SBU reported this. The attacker made a homemade bomb and placed it under the bottom of an SUV that was parked near the entrance of an apartment building.
12.59 The city of Sumy and the territory of the Sumy community came under a massive attack by Russian drones. The civilian infrastructure of the regional center was damaged, there are injuries, the head of the Sumy OVA, Oleg Hrygorov, reported on Telegram.
12.53 The Ministry of Defense explained the changes to the Regulations on Military Service, introduced by presidential decree regarding 60+ contracts.
Thus, volunteers aged 60 and over during martial law can sign a contract for military service. The term of such a contract is 1 year.
To be accepted for contract service, volunteers must submit appropriate applications and letters from military unit commanders to the CCC at their place of residence or stay.
Whereas, if a volunteer is accepted into military service under a contract as an officer, a letter from the commander of the military unit for concluding a contract is provided only after the candidate is approved by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A serviceman may receive another rank in a shortened period of time if:
serves in a combat unit that participates in military operations (the list of such units is determined by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine);
serves in a military unit that does not belong to the combat force, and for at least three months has performed or is performing combat (special) tasks in combat units involved in conducting military operations;
during martial law, performed combat (special) tasks in combat units involved in conducting military operations, and was recognized by military medical commissions as unfit for military service due to health or as fit for military service in military support units, TCK and SP, VVNIZ, training centers, medical units, logistics, communications, operational support, security units, as a result of illnesses, wounds (injuries, contusions, mutilations) received during the defense of the Fatherland and was subsequently transferred to other military units, or returned from a business trip to his military unit.
12.41 Combat flights on F-16 fighters are performed by Ukrainian pilots, and information about foreign pilots is only rumors . Yuriy Ignat, head of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this on Tuesday, February 17, responding to information from a French publication about the alleged participation of foreigners in protecting the skies of Ukraine.
12.36 Three pro-Kremlin agitators who justified Russian war crimes and called for the capture of all of Ukraine have been detained, the SBU reported.
12.00 Three employees of the Slavyanska TPP were killed in a Russian drone attack on their car on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Energy reported . The enemy attacked the car of the energy workers in the city of Mykolaivka, Kramatorsk district.
11.58 Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces successfully struck enemy rear and operational infrastructure facilities with FP-2 drones in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. This is stated in a message from the special forces on Telegram.
11.42 As a result of another massive missile and drone attack by the Russians, there are problems with energy supply in five regions . This was reported by Ukrenergo. Emergency restoration work at energy facilities has already begun wherever the security situation allows.
11.21 Counterintelligence officers detained a Russian FSB agent who was coordinating strikes on Sloviansk in the Donetsk region. The SBU reported this. An underground hideout was discovered in the detainee's home, which he had secretly set up to wait for the Russians in the event of fighting on the streets of the city.
10.48 On Tuesday night, 12 regions of Ukraine came under attack by Russian aggressors . This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky in Telegram. The Russian strike was specifically calculated to cause as much damage as possible to the energy sector, the head of state noted.
10.35 In Chernihiv region, last night and this morning, Russian military forces struck transport infrastructure and a gymnasium. This was reported by the head of the Chernihiv OVA, Vyacheslav Chaus, on February 17. According to him, late last night, an FPV drone hit a gymnasium in Semenivka. The facade was damaged, the windows were broken. Chaus noted that for security reasons, gymnasium students are on "distance learning", like the rest of the students in the 20-kilometer zone.
10.21 On Tuesday night, Russian aggressors launched 29 missiles of various types and 396 drones at Ukraine. Air defense and electronic warfare units intercepted/suppressed most of the enemy targets. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, it was possible to destroy all 25 cruise missiles that were used by the invaders.
9.40 As a result of Russian drone strikes in the Sumy region on the night of February 17, one person was killed and six were injured, including two children. This was reported by the Sumy Regional Prosecutor's Office. A 68-year-old woman was killed. Her family - a 42-year-old son, a 40-year-old daughter-in-law and their two sons, aged 7 and 15, were injured. In a neighboring house, a 79-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man were injured.
8.42 There were 201 combat clashes on the front in 24 hours, with the largest number of battles in the Pokrov and Hulyaipil directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on February 17.
8.19 In the Zhashkiv territorial community of Cherkasy region, two residential buildings were damaged as a result of the fall of Russian drone debris on the night of February 17. This was reported by the head of the regional military administration, Ihor Taburets.
7.50 The Armed Forces of Ukraine killed and wounded 890 Russian occupiers over the past 24 hours, the total enemy losses in the war amounted to 1,255,340 people. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on February 17.
7.23 Soldiers of the Steel Frontier Brigade hit a tank, two antennas, a car and a drone of the Russian occupiers in the Kursk and Severno-Slobozhansk directions. The State Border Service of Ukraine reported this by publishing a video . The combat mission was carried out by drone operators of the Askold reconnaissance unit.
05.29 On the night of Tuesday, February 17, a number of facilities in Russia were attacked by drones, including the Ilya oil refinery in the Krasnodar Territory. As a result of the hit, a large-scale fire broke out on the territory of the refinery. In the Krasnodar Territory, alarm sirens were turned on in Sochi, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk and Slavyansk-on-Kuban. At the same time, drone attacks took place in Tatarstan.
05.03 On the night of February 17, Russian occupation forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk region. It was especially loud in Dnipro, which was under a combined attack by the Russian Federation. First, the enemy used Shahed suicide drones , and later launched missile strikes. It became known about a fire in one of the districts of the city, and an administrative building and several cars were also damaged as a result of the shelling. According to preliminary information from the head of the OVA, there were no casualties.
03.34 On the night of Tuesday, February 17, during the attack on Odessa, a fire broke out on the upper floors of a residential building in one of the city's districts. In another, a shop and a service station were damaged. Currently, two victims are known to be receiving medical care, the head of the Odessa OVA Serhiy Lysak said.
03.01 On the night of Tuesday, February 17, explosions were heard in a number of Ukrainian cities - Odessa, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhia and Okhtyrka - during an air raid alert caused by an attack by Russian strike drones.
02.27 In Vyborg, Russia, where key infrastructure of the Baltic Fleet is located, sirens were heard on the evening of Monday, February 16, after which part of the city was left without power.
01.29 On the night of Tuesday, February 17, a series of explosions were recorded in various areas of temporarily occupied Crimea. According to information from local publics and monitoring resources, these are drone attacks, missile attacks, and actions of the Russian air defense system.
00.30 On the evening of Monday, February 16, a powerful explosion occurred in Odessa, after which part of the city was left without water and electricity. Local Telegram channels noted that the explosion occurred before the announcement of the air raid alert; only after the incident did sirens begin to sound in the city.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:21 In the period from 15:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 13 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Nine UAVs – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Three UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Bryansk region.
20:48 Artillerymen of the Vostok grouparrangedA veritable rain of fire fell upon the enemy. They covered the Dnipropetrovsk region, using Grad MLRS crews. 20:39 Severyan drones "dismantled" the position of the RAK-12 MLRS of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, –video.
19:10 In the Kupyansk direction, attack aircraft of the 352nd Motorized Rifle Regiment destroyed another enemy dugout near Kurilovka.
17:36 in Khar'kov oblast clarified the line of contact in the Khatnego area.
16:39 In the period from 9:00 Moscow time to 15:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty 19 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted and destroyed:
15 UAVs – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Two UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
Two UAVs – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea
16:32 Recorded destruction of the Kozak armored fighting vehicle and militant vehicles in the Krasnolimansk direction.
15:43 Posted footage of the destruction of an 82mm mortar of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by FPV drones near the village of Kasyanivka in the Khar'kov region.
14:31 Breaking through the path of the "Center" infantry in the Krasnoarmeysk direction, the crews of the 385th Guards Artillery Brigade "destroyed" the fortified defense area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, -video.
13:59 In Khar'kov "Severiane" droppedi nstructions for countering illegal actions of the TCC.
13:20 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of February 17, 2026:
Over the past 24 hours, in response to the Kyiv regime's terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia, the Russian Armed Forces launched a massive strike using long-range, land- and air-based precision weapons, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, against military-industrial facilities, energy infrastructure in Ukraine used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as production, storage, and launch sites for strike unmanned aerial vehicles.
The strike's objectives have been achieved. All designated targets have been hit.
Units of the "North" force group have taken up more advantageous positions and lines. Formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and territorial defense brigade were defeated near the settlements of Kondratovka, Khar'kovka, and Khoten in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kiv region, units of the motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Grafskoe, Izbitskoe and Rubizhne in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 165 servicemen, 10 vehicles, a supply depot, and a US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery station.
Units of the "West" force grouping have improved their tactical position. They have inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a National Guard brigade near the settlements of Druzhelyubovka, Kovsharovka, and Novoosinovo in the Khar'kov region, and Krasny Liman and Raigorodok in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 150 service members, two armored combat vehicles, including a US-made HMMWV, 15 vehicles, and two artillery pieces. Six ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces have improved their position along the forward edge. Formations of three mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade have been defeated near the settlements of Konstantinovka, Lipovka, Nikiforovka, Novoselivka, Rai-Aleksandrovka, and Reznikovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 195 troops, 12 pickup trucks, an M113 armored personnel carrier, and a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle. An electronic warfare station was destroyed.
Units of the Center Group of Forces have improved their tactical position. They have inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, two Jaeger brigades, an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and four National Guard brigades near the settlements of Belitskoye, Vodyanskoye, Grishino, Kucherov Yar, Novohryhorivka, Pavlovka, Sergeyevka, and Torskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Novopavlovka and Novopidgorodnoye in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 350 servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armored combat vehicles, and four cars.
Units of the "East" force group continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. Formations of a mechanized brigade, two assault brigades, an airborne assault brigade, and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated near the settlements of Kommunarovka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Vozdvizhevka, Gorke, Dolinka, Zelena Dibrova, Timoshivka, Lyubitske, and Nikolskoye in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The enemy lost over 345 servicemen, eight armored combat vehicles, six cars and a field artillery gun.
Units of the Dnipro Forces Group improved their tactical position. They inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized and mountain assault brigades near Novoandriivka and Orekhov in the Zaporizhia region.
More than 25 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, eight vehicles and a warehouse of supplies were destroyed.
Operational-tactical aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups have damaged temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 148 districts.
Air defense systems shot down eight guided aerial bombs and 334 unmanned aerial vehicles.
12:39 The crews of the Severian electronic warfare stations and systems successfully carry out tasks to detect and suppress Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs, –video.
11:54 In the Dobropolsky direction, assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces are advancing towards mine No. 2 Vodyanskaya southwest of Belitsky, –MAP.
11:29 Recorded the defeat of the Bogdan self-propelled howitzer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using FPV drones in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces.
11:26 From 7:00 Moscow time to 9:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 27 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
15 – over the Black Sea,
Four – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
Four – over the territory of Perm Krai,
Three – over the territory of Krasnodar Krai,
One – over the territory of Belgorod Oblast.
11:20 122mm howitzer D‑30 APU destroyed in the village of Veseloe, Khar'kov region.
10:35 According to Ukrainian publics, there was a fire in Odessa last night that knocked out Tairovo substation, where Geraniums were used.
10:04 Air Defense Forces shot down 24 Ukrainian drones over Sevastopol. One casualty.
According to the governor, this was one of the longest attacks on Sevastopol in recent times.
According to preliminary information, a nine-year-old boy was injured. His legs were cut by shrapnel. The child was taken to a children's hospital and is in satisfactory condition.
9:51 Summary about the operational situation in the Kursk region over the past 24 hours.
In total, 13 enemy drones of various types were shot down between 9:00 a.m. on February 16 and 7:00 a.m. on February 17. The enemy used artillery on evacuated areas 15 times.
9:00 During the past night of February 17, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 151 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
50 – over the Black Sea,
38 – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
29 – over the waters of the Sea of Azov,
18 – over the territory of Krasnodar Krai,
11 – over the territory of Kaluga Oblast,
Four – over the territory of Bryansk Oblast,
One – over the territory of Kursk Oblast.
8:34 Struck energy facilities of Odessa and the Odessa region
A combined strike was launched using cruise missiles and Geranium attack drones. Local public groups are reporting a deterioration in the city's power supply.
8:08 Frontline summary as of the morning of February 17, 2026
Zaporizhzhia Front:
Fighting continues on the northeastern outskirts of Primorskoye. Russian forces are repelling enemy counterattacks in Rechnoye. There is progress northeast of Stepnogorsk. Fighting continues near Lukyanivske and Novoboikovsky.
Heavy fighting is ongoing in the Hulyai-Polye sector near Ternovatoye and Kosovtsevo. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of Tsvetkovoye.
Fighting continues near Krynichnoye, Staroukrainka, and Zaliznichnoye. On the right flank of the Orekhiv sector, fighting continues near Novoandriyevka, Novodanilovka, and Malaya Tokmachka.
Advances are reported between Mirnoye and Belogorye.
Donetsk Front.
Fighting continues in Grishino on the Krasnoarmeysk front. Clashes continue in the Dobropillya front near Novyi Donbas and Belitskoye.
In the Krasnolimansk direction, Russian Armed Forces are advancing toward the Svyatogorsk railway station. There are gains near Aleksandrovka. Advances are reported in Krasny Liman.
West of Dibrov, Russian Armed Forces are expanding their control zone in the forested area and are also advancing near Ozernoye.
Fighting for Nikiforovka and Reznikovka continues.
Fighting is ongoing on the Khar'kov Front in the Kupyansk direction. On the Boguslav front, Russian forces are conducting active combat operations in the Borovaya area.
[ZeroHedge] Russia's Defense Ministry on Tuesday is reporting an overnight and early morning attack which marked the largest drone assault from Ukraine since early January.
Russian air defenses shot down more than 150 Ukrainian drones in the attack which included hundreds of UAVs sent in total, as officials from both sides are imminently expected meet in Switzerland for another round of peace talks.
According to the ministry, 79 drones were intercepted over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, 38 over annexed Crimea, and 18 over the Krasnodar region.
It is clearly among the biggest single wave of cross-border assaults since January 1st - when Moscow said it downed 168 unmanned aircraft in a similar attack.
Russian governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev announced that in Crimea a nine-year-old boy was hospitalized with minor injuries, and that there was significant damage to vehicles, apartment buildings, private homes, and gas pipelines due to the strikes.
Neighboring Krasnodar saw a fire erupt at the Ilsky Oil Refinery due to drone strikes. Ukraine’s military boated of hitting the refinery, as it is owned by the Kuban Oil and Gas Company, which Kiev has highlighted supports Russian military logistics.
Authorities in other regions reported no casualties or significant damage from the overnight attacks - though airports across over a dozen cities imposed temporary flight restrictions as the drone wave unfolded.
Russia’s Defense Ministry later into Tuesday morning said it shot down nearly 30 additional inbound Ukrainian drones.
As for the ongoing peace talks in Geneva, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told a press briefing not to expect much in terms of anything concrete today.
"I don’t think we should expect any news today because, as you know, work is scheduled to continue tomorrow. We have no plans to make any statements or remarks," he underscored.
Peskov explained on Monday, "This time, the idea is to discuss a broader range of issues, including, in fact, the main ones. The main issues concern both the territories and everything else related to the demands we have put forward."
Russia’s delegation is led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will represent the US at the talks, and they are coming off the indirect talks with Iran from earlier the same day, also happening in Geneva.
[IntelligenceOnline] A squadron comprising Ukrainian, US and Dutch pilots has been assembled to protect Kyiv's airspace. These seasoned veterans are notably being deployed to help fend off Russian cruise missiles and drones. [...]
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
