Ukraine
The President of Ukraine met with the UAE leader in Abu Dhabi to discuss the release of prisoners and sign an economic agreement. The document simplifies the access of Ukrainian goods to the UAE market.
On February 18, dry frosty weather is expected in Ukraine with temperatures down to -19°C at night and -6°C during the day. The cold weather will remain until the end of the week.
A Russian drone damaged the protective “Arch” at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, creating a hole and causing a fire. The damage disrupted the insulation functions, and the unstable structures inside the facility now pose an increased risk.
New regulatory changes may restrict access to medicines in Ukraine - American Chamber of Commerce.
Last year, the SBI investigated 310 cases of organizing illegal border crossings. The most common scheme was deregistration from the military through fake medical diagnoses.
In January 2025, Ukraine's GDP grew by 1. 5%, compared to 1.7% in December 2024. Growth is supported by construction, industry, and trade, but exports and the mining sector are in decline.
The SBU detained a former teacher of a Kherson school who helped the occupiers take 6 children to Crimea. The suspect tried to avoid justice by hiding in Kyiv after the liberation of Kherson.
Lavrov and Ushakov fly to Riyadh to meet with American representatives. The parties will discuss the restoration of Russian-American relations and a possible settlement of the situation in Ukraine.
The advisor to the head of the OP commented on the statement by the US Special Representative about engaging all parties in negotiations in 180 days. Leshchenko emphasized that no one can predict the duration of this process.
The IAEA team was unable to carry out the planned rotation at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP due to a Russian drone attack on December 10. The new group of experts was supposed to replace colleagues who have been at the plant for two months.
Representative offices of foreign pharmaceutical companies warn of possible closure due to the restriction of margins to 8%. The EBA warns that this could lead to job losses and reduced availability of imported medicines.
The government has approved free cryopreservation of reproductive cells for military personnel. The service is available in medical institutions that have an agreement with the NHSU, subject to the provision of a referral and documents.
In some regions of Ukraine, emergency power outages were introduced in the morning due to a 2. 4% increase in consumption. The weather left 9 settlements in the Dnipropetrovs'k region without power.
Three smoldering hotspots are found at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after a Russian drone strike. Three groups of climbers are working to eliminate the fire, the radiation background is normal.
On Mount Pip Ivan Chornohirsky, the air temperature dropped to -22°C. The weather is cloudy with clearings and a northeast wind of 6 m/s.
President of the European Council Costa insists on the EU's participation in negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that Russia poses a global threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire European security.
The Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar Krai with a capacity of 6. 6 million tons of oil per year was attacked in the RF, and the largest oil pumping station "Kropotkinskaya" of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium was disabled.
Draft law No. 13007 may give the DGF unlimited powers and limit the rights of depositors. The document contradicts the Constitution and creates corruption risks in the management of assets of liquidated banks.
Favbet Tech at ICE Barcelona 2025: Technological breakthroughs in the iGaming industry.
The film Rock, Scissors, Paper starring Oleksandr Rudynskyi won the Best British Short Film nomination. The actor dedicated the BAFTA award to his friend Yevhen Svitlychnyi, who died at the front.
In some places, up to 4 cm of snow has fallen in Ukraine, and the temperature in the east is -18°C. There are 492 vehicles working on the roads, and the main roads are free of traffic.
In 2024, MHP paid UAH 7. 6 billion in taxes to the budgets of all levels. Over three years, including the period of full-scale invasion, the amount of tax payments amounted to UAH 18.2 billion.
The U. S. Secretary of State said it was necessary to involve Ukraine and Europeans in peace talks. According to him, there are currently only preliminary conversations between Trump and Putin.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, 763,759 new individual entrepreneurs (FOP) have opened, and 684,995 have closed. The most popular sectors are retail trade and IT, and the share of women entrepreneurs has grown to 61%.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian representatives on ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting will take place on Trump's initiative after his conversations with Putin and Zelensky.
At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with 147 Shahed drones and imitator drones from different directions. Air defense forces shot down 83 attack drones, detected 59 imitator drones, and damaged 4 regions.
Two drones violated Moldova's airspace near the border with Ukraine on Sunday evening. The incident occurred three days after a previous violation, when one of the drones exploded in the country.
On the morning of February 17, 2025, Ukraine started applying emergency power outage schedules. At the command of Ukrenergo, blackouts are taking place in Kyiv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Sumy and Kirovohrad regions.
Firefighting at the Chornobyl NPP has been suspended, and no open smoldering centers have been detected. The radiation background remains normal, and the situation is being monitored using drones with thermal imagers.
Over the last day, 129 combat engagements took place, most of them in the Pokrovsk sector - 40 attacks. The enemy carried out 95 air strikes and used 2,932 kamikaze drones.