Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 20:58 The situation in Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast, is critical. Russian occupiers are very close to the city along the entire front line. This was reported by the head of the Kupyansk city military administration, Andrey Besedin, on the Espresso TV channel.
20.31 The European Union is considering a new military aid package for Ukraine worth at least six billion euros to strengthen the country's strategic position ahead of negotiations with Russia, Politico reports, citing three diplomatic sources.
19.48 Sending Chinese peacekeepers to Ukraine is a hypothetical question, so China refuses to comment on such rumors. This was stated by the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guo Jiakong during a briefing when he was asked to comment on rumors that the United States is offering China to send its soldiers to peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after the end of the war.
19:05 Mobilization activities have begun in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast. This was reported by the National Resistance Center. The occupiers plan to begin the so-called conscription in March-April 2025. This will allow them to disguise the mobilization as an annual conscription campaign in Russia.
18:58 The 28th separate mechanized brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign already has about 400 applications in three days since the start of the Contract 18-24 project. This was reported by the head of the recruiting group of the 28th separate mechanized brigade Denis Bystry on the air of the telethon.
18.41 Another array of data on foreign components in Russian weapons, including in attack drones, which the enemy is using in the war against Ukraine, has been published on the War&Sanctions portal. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense.
18:35 Neither side will win the war between Ukraine and Russia by force of arms. A transition to diplomacy is needed, but it must "lead to a fair peace." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in Ankara during a joint briefing with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
17:41 The war between Ukraine and Russia must end on terms that suit both sides. Only then will peace be long-lasting. This was stated by US Secretary of State Mark Rubio at a briefing following negotiations with the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia.
17.09 President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled his visit to Saudi Arabia, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday. He said this in Ankara at a joint briefing with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Ukrainian leader "does not want coincidences" and to be in Saudi Arabia when Russian representatives are there.
16.45 Since the beginning of the current day, 109 combat clashes have occurred on the front in 10 directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the details in the operational summary as of 16:00.
16.19 The American side now wants to please Vladimir Putin in order to quickly achieve success, but a ceasefire in Ukraine is not a success. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the German TV channel ARD.
15.57 Russian aggressors carried out an airstrike on the village of Zolochiv in the Bogodukhov community on Tuesday, February 18. An administrative building was destroyed, residential buildings and commercial facilities were damaged. This was reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
14.15 At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, extinguishing of two cells of smoldering roof insulation continues and work is underway to partially open the shelter structures.
According to the State Emergency Service, the radiation level at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant industrial site does not exceed the norm, there is no threat to the population, and the situation is under control.
13:40 The Security Service detained an FSB agent in Khmelnitsky. The 37-year-old, mobilized to a local military unit on orders from the Russians, adjusted missile strikes on the city.
As an unmanned systems operator, the "mole" used the regular UAVs to track potential targets. The agent also installed a hidden mini-camera with remote access for the FSB opposite the region's railway junction.
13:10 Moscow believes that it is the sovereign right of any state to join the European Union, including Ukraine, and has a different approach to military alliances. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at a briefing.
12:48 The European Union is preparing the largest defense package for Ukraine, Western media report. We are talking about a sum of up to 700 billion euros. This is such a large package that it has never been seen before in such a dimension, noted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
12:20 The participation of the DPRK army in the war against Ukraine will have long-term consequences for the security system in the Asia-Pacific region. This was stated by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov.
He emphasized that the Russian Federation and the DPRK are deepening military cooperation in the field of technology. Thus, at first the accuracy of the North Korean KN-23 missile was very low, with an error of 500 to 1,500 meters, but Russian specialists made technical modifications. Now the missile has become much more accurate and threatens the security of South Korea and Japan.
11:50 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for use in the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the unmanned aerial systems U13 and U15 of Ukrainian production.
FPV drones U13 and U15 are designed to destroy protected firing positions, armored vehicles and enemy manpower. The copters are equipped with powerful electric motors. The "birds" of these systems are less vulnerable to enemy electronic countermeasures and can be used in various meteorological conditions.
11:39 As a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 7,017 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war with Russia. A total of 75 repatriations were carried out, Ukrayinska Pravda reported, citing a comment from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
11:18 Russian invaders attacked Konstantinovka twice with FPV drones. Five people were injured, including the head of the city military administration (GVA) Sergey Gorbunov. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
10:51 Direct talks between the US and Russia on Ukraine have begun in the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, but without the participation of Kiev itself and representatives of European countries. The main goal of the meeting is "real normalization of relations" between Russia and the US, the Kremlin noted.
And the State Department said that the US wants to find out the Kremlin's intentions during the talks with Russian representatives, and the details of the peace agreement will not be discussed.
10:30 The Security Service detained a Russian agent in the Kyiv region - the head of the department of social, educational and psychological work of one of the correctional colonies of the capital region, recruited by the FSB. The man "leaked" information to the Russians about former prisoners who were fighting in the ranks of the assault units of the Defense Forces on the front lines.
09:35 Russian military attacked Ukraine with 176 Shahed attack UAVs and drone imitators of various types.
The downing of 103 Shahed attack UAVs and other types of drones was confirmed in the Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. 67 enemy drone imitators were lost.
The Kirovograd, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Cherkasy regions suffered from the enemy attack.
09:22 On the morning of February 18, rescuers are still continuing to eliminate the consequences of the Russian drone hitting the sarcophagus at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The radiation status is under constant control. Fluctuations in current values ​​are within the usual limits for each point.
09:05 As a result of Russian strikes on the city of Orekhov in the Zaporizhia region, one person was killed. The body of an 80-year-old man was pulled out from under the rubble of a house.
08:37 In Cherkasy Oblast, the night alarm lasted for almost six hours. Air defense forces shot down 26 Russian drones within the region. In Cherkasy District, four houses and a garage were damaged by debris. Windows were knocked out, and roofs were damaged in some places. A car was also damaged.
08:25 Over the past 24 hours, 139 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. The largest number of attacks by Russian troops were recorded in the Pokrovsky and Novopavlovsky directions. The defense forces hit eight areas where Russian personnel, weapons, and military equipment were concentrated.
07:48 As of February 18, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine were approximately 861,090 people (+1,170 per day).
07:20 At night, in the city of Dolinskaya in the Kirovograd region, a Russian drone hit a multi-story building during an air attack. Three people were injured - a mother and two children. They were immediately provided with medical assistance. Residents were evacuated from the building, a total of 38 apartments.
05:15 UK lawmakers from the main parties want to put Prime Minister Keir Starmer's proposal to send troops to Ukraine as part of the post-war process to a vote. The MPs say they believe lawmakers should be involved in any decision to deploy troops to Ukraine.
05:00 US Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will arrive in Ukraine on Wednesday, February 19, by morning train from Poland. The program of the visit, which will last three days, is still being coordinated. According to Kellogg, on Tuesday, February 18, he will go to Warsaw and from there take the night train to Kiev, where he will arrive on the morning of Wednesday, February 19.
04:42 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that no decisions were made on the situation in Ukraine at the summit of European Union leaders held in Paris on February 17. Such meetings are aimed at consultations, but do not provide for the adoption of binding decisions. However, according to him, the summit in Paris noted the need to strengthen cooperation in strengthening European security and finding a common strategy to end the war in Ukraine.
04:20 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Europe's security directly depends on the establishment of a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion. These are "two sides of the same coin."
03:09 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron after the meeting of European leaders in Paris. According to Zelenskyy, they discussed the global situation, the situation in Europe and, in particular, a security guarantee for Ukraine. This is actually what was discussed at the meeting of EU leaders in Paris.
02:30 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about the results of the emergency summit of European leaders in Paris. In the evening, he wrote in the X microblog that European countries are ready not only to strengthen their own security, but also to lead security guarantees for Ukraine. He did not disclose specific decisions, adding that the details require cultivation.