Ukraine and Japan can begin defense cooperation, which will be a historic event. Zelenskyy announced his readiness to exchange technologies and experience in modern warfare.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger visited Kyiv with a delegation to assess the situation and send a signal of support to Ukraine. She noted the brutality of Russian attacks and heating problems in Kyiv.
Meta has cut annual stock option payouts by approximately 5% for most of its employees. This comes amid investments in artificial intelligence and the construction of data centers.
According to The Economist, Putin's chances of victory in Ukraine are diminishing, and peace talks will not provide him with a way out of the trap. Economic and political instability threatens Russia, destroying the dictator's plans.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih. Ukraine expects increased support for Ukrainians from the Office of the UN High Commissioner.
On February 20, scheduled power outages and capacity restrictions will be in effect in most regions of Ukraine. These are the consequences of Russian attacks on energy facilities.
France will allocate 71 million euros in grant aid to Ukraine, part of which will go to support the energy sector. The agreement was reached during a meeting with the French Minister of Economy, Finance, Industry, Energy and Digital Sovereignty, Roland Lescure.
Trump emphasized that he was aware of the mixed reactions in Europe to his stance, but this did not change his assessment of the Hungarian prime minister's performance.
Russia launched a ballistic missile strike on the production base of the regional road service, destroying premises and specialized road equipment. This is a continuation of targeted strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure.
Since the beginning of the heating season in Ukraine, 848 people, including 23 children, have died as a result of 10,578 fires in residential buildings. Another 783 people, including 93 children, were injured.
European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen stated that Brussels is not pressuring Ukraine regarding the timeline for restoring the Druzhba oil pipeline. Oil from Russia is supplied to Hungary and Slovakia via this pipeline.
That is why Ukraine needs to quickly build up battery complexes in the near future to accumulate daytime generation and use it during evening peaks, reducing restrictions and increasing the stability of the energy system.
Hungary is considering halting electricity and gas exports to Ukraine if Kyiv does not resume the supply of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of delaying the resumption of supplies for political reasons.
Energy experts warn: it is technically impossible to decentralize the generation of large urban combined heat and power plants in one inter-heating season, and for Kyiv, such a transformation could require about 7 billion euros in investments and 3-5 years of work.
"Motorinvest" is a Russian car assembly plant in the Lipetsk region, which has been operating since 2014.
In the Chernihiv region, an accident on a 110 kV overhead line led to a power outage in Chernihiv, Slavutych, and part of the Chernihiv district. Energy workers are working to restore electricity supply.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is preparing solutions for the reconstruction and renewal of communities' energy supply. A coordination center will be established at the government level to systematize communities' experience.
A single platform of government support programs for the population, HOAs, businesses, and communities during the winter period has started operating in Ukraine. The platform energy.kmu.gov.ua provides complete information about current support opportunities, conditions, and application procedures.
Key problems in the regions are vulnerable distribution networks due to lack of protection and strikes on boiler houses, which can leave people without heat.
Due to hostilities and shelling of energy infrastructure, consumers in 5 regions have been cut off from electricity. In Odesa region, the electricity situation remains difficult after previous enemy attacks.
Energy infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Russia's Belgorod, leading to power and heat supply disruptions. Power outages have partially affected Belgorod, Shebekino, and the Shebekino district.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has established an annual award for energy sector employees. Up to 50 awards of UAH 200,000 each will be granted annually.
The Cabinet of Ministers instructed to prepare the necessary resources to overcome the consequences of spring floods. The Ministry of Economy and other agencies will provide proposals for supporting people and businesses.
On February 19, hourly shutdown schedules and power restrictions for industrial consumers will be in effect in Ukraine. The reason is the consequences of Russian attacks on energy facilities.
Additional autonomous power generation equipment and diesel buses have been sent to Odesa. Individual houses are already being powered by generators, and repair crews are working around the clock.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on operational work in communities, particularly in Kyiv, in the conditions of an emergency energy situation. Priority steps have been identified to ensure backup power and the development of distributed generation.
MFA spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi commented on Budapest's provocations regarding the shutdown of the "Druzhba" oil pipeline.
Expert Serhiy Kuyun states that the cessation of diesel fuel supplies from Hungary and Slovakia is not critical for Ukraine. These supplies account for up to 10% of the market and can be easily replaced.
The PURL program remains a reliable mechanism for purchasing American air defense missiles. Contributions of $584 million have already been announced for 2026, but the need reaches $15 billion.
Serhiy Kovalenko, CEO of YASNO, explained why electricity bills increase during power outages. This is influenced by the starting current of appliances, individual consumption habits, and untimely submission of meter readings.
