Julia Shramko
In the US, rescue teams on skis and snowmobiles are searching for 10 skiers who went missing after an avalanche in the mountains of Northern California. Six skiers have been found and are awaiting rescue.
On the night of February 18, Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 126 attack UAVs at Ukraine. Air defense forces shot down or suppressed 100 enemy drones.
A massive outage occurred overnight in the operation of Google, YouTube, and Cloudflare services. YouTube announced the return of all platforms to normal operation after resolving an issue with the recommendation system.
The GUR recorded Starlink disconnections among Russian occupiers along the entire front line. Russians are forced to use low-quality Gazprom terminals, which do not provide stable communication.
Consumer Reports experts have identified the most reliable cars of 2026, evaluating them based on performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. Among the winners are Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru Forester, Toyota Grand Highlander, Lexus NX, BMW X5, Ford Maverick, Ford F-150, and Tesla Model Y.
Ukraine, the US, and Russia are starting another round of negotiations. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, thanked the US and Switzerland for their support.
The second round of indirect talks between the US and Iran in Geneva has concluded. Delegations from both sides have left the venue, and US envoys are preparing for talks with Ukraine and Russia.
Delegations from Ukraine, the US, and Russia have arrived in Geneva for trilateral talks. The meeting will take place behind closed doors on February 17-18.
The European Commission has confirmed plans to adopt a new package of sanctions against Russia by February 24. This marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
France allowed the GRINCH tanker to leave its waters after the owning company paid a multi-million euro fine. The vessel was detained on suspicion of sanctions evasion and belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet."
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the destruction of a Russian Ka-27 helicopter in occupied Crimea. Three enemy UAV control points in Zaporizhzhia and Kursk regions were also hit.
Six civilians in Sumy, including women aged 20 and 61, and men aged 60, 76, 45, and 42, were injured in an enemy attack on the city center. Buildings and cars were damaged, and the condition of the injured is assessed as non-life-threatening.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the damage to the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai on the night of February 17. Logistics facilities and a communication hub of the occupiers in the occupied territories were also hit.
Talks involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia in Geneva will continue today and tomorrow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that news should not be expected today.
After the cyclone, roads in a number of regions are covered with snow, snowdrifts are possible. Passage on main roads is ensured, except for a section of the T-24-01 highway in Kirovohrad region, where there are traffic restrictions due to the threat of a landslide.
The Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the destruction of the Iskander storage site in occupied Crimea and the Rubikon piloting point in Zaporizhzhia. In total, more than 10 enemy military facilities were hit between February 9 and 14.
Iranian media confirmed indirect talks between the US and Iran in Geneva. Iran demands a complete lifting of sanctions and confidence-building measures regarding its nuclear program.
Russia massively attacked civilian and critical infrastructure in several regions of Ukraine, including energy facilities and railway infrastructure in four regions. In some regions, water and heat supply have been temporarily suspended; there are no casualties.
Several hits on civilian infrastructure objects in the city center have been recorded in Sumy. The threat of repeated strikes remains, there are no preliminary casualties.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and General Alex Hrynkevych are in Geneva for talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia. They arrived as part of the American delegation to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine.
Russia launched a combined attack on energy infrastructure, causing blackouts in five regions and heating disruptions in Sumy and Odesa. Three people were killed in a strike on a vehicle carrying employees of the Sloviansk TPP.
Trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia will take place today in Geneva. The Ukrainian delegation arrived in Geneva on Monday to discuss security and humanitarian issues.
On February 17, 2026, at approximately 03:10, in the Kyrykivka community of Okhtyrka district, the enemy attacked houses with three drones. A 68-year-old woman was killed, and six people, including two children, were injured.
The enemy attacked Ivano-Frankivsk region at dawn, there were no casualties. In one of the communities, heating has been temporarily suspended, and restoration work is underway.
President Zelenskyy reported that the Russian attack was aimed at damaging Ukraine's energy infrastructure. As a result of the strike, 9 people were injured, the railway was damaged, and Odesa is experiencing heat and water outages.
The former Deputy Minister of Social Policy will be tried for official negligence. He is accused of signing a contract for UAH 23.7 million for the "E-social" system, which was never launched.
Russia launched 29 missiles, including 4 ballistic missiles, and 396 drones at Ukraine. 25 missiles and 367 drones were shot down, while 4 ballistic missiles and 18 drones hit their targets.
On February 17, an enemy Shahed-type drone was destroyed in the Stryi district of the Lviv region. Three combat drones were also shot down, one was lost locally.
During the night, the enemy again launched devastating strikes on Odesa's energy infrastructure. The destruction is extremely serious, and repairs will take a long time.
French President Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day visit to India, where he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The main topics of discussion are cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and a potential contract for the supply of 114 Dassault Rafale fighter jets.