U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19 approved a one-year extension of the national emergency and related sanctions first introduced following Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea.

Key developments on Feb. 19: * Ukraine reportedly strikes oil depot in Russia's Pskov Oblast, targets Belgorod with missiles, leaving blackouts * US reportedly presses allies to block Ukraine from full participation at NATO summit * Moldova, Ukraine investigate alleged Russian-backed plot to assassinate prominent Ukrainians * Sweden to send cutting-edge air defense system to Ukraine as part of new $1.42 billion aid package Ukraine reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia's Pskov Oblast and

Russia's assault on Ukraine has gone dark thanks to a recent cut-off of satellite internet. "Their pilots are now forced to pass on information by radio, and I can intercept those messages," Tymur, a deputy battalion commander in the Lyman sector, told the Kyiv Independent. "They have their own versions and alternatives to Starlink. They just need time to expand their use." At the start of February, SpaceX and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry implemented a "white list" for Starlinks to operate

As the crisis in Washington’s relations with its European allies escalated in recent months, it raised a stark question: how secure are the U.S. guarantees for countries bordering Russia? U.S. President Donald Trump has not just antagonized NATO allies but even threatened to annex one of their autonomous territories — Denmark's Greenland. The tensions subsided as Trump pledged not to use force against Greenland in January but concerns remain. Among the U.S. allies in Europe, Estonia, Lithuania

Contrary to the rhetoric coming out of the Kremlin, the Russian economy is faltering. After years of growth propped up by military spending, Russia's economy slowed to a standstill in 2025. Unfortunately, the energy trade remains just strong enough to sustain Russian tax revenues: without the steady inflow of hard currency from energy exports, Russia would be unable to continue its murderous invasion of Ukraine. This dependence on energy exports is a vulnerability the West has never fully expl

The package also includes procurement of ammunition and "expansion of cooperation... on long-range drones."

"The portfolio of potential U.S.-Russia projects is over $14 trillion," Kremlin economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said.

The reported move would limit Kyiv's role at a key gathering of NATO leaders.

Russian forces are using LTE mobile networks and Ukrainian SIM cards to remotely control FPV drones, Serhii Beskrestnov, adviser to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, said.

Iranian Rear Admiral Hassan Maqsoudlou said the drills reflect both countries' focus on the regional situation.

Russia launched 37 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said, of which Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or jammed 29.

Moldovan authorities said investigative measures began at 6 a.m. local time.

Ukraine reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia's Pskov Oblast and launched missiles at the Russian city of Belgorod, causing power outages in parts of the city, Telegram news channels and local authorities reported overnight Feb. 18-19.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Whether or not this apparent Chinese proverb is authentic, it applies for the Ukrainian military's corps reform as much as it does for trees. The Ukrainian leadership's announcement in February 2025 that its Armed Forces and National Guard would transition to a corps-based command system sparked a glimmer of hope that the chronic command issues plaguing the country's defense could be alleviated, if not solved. The ch

The reported number includes 830 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

As Russian missiles and drones plunge much of Ukraine into darkness this winter, the mountain community of Ust-Chorna has largely kept the lights on — thanks to green energy. The district, made up of four villages tucked into a forest valley of western Ukraine, relies on a small network of hydroelectric power stations that have continued operating even as Russian attacks have all but destroyed the country's centralized energy grid. And as emergency blackouts are implemented across the country,

The decision escalates tensions between Kyiv and two of the EU's most Russia-friendly governments.

A 28-year-old Brazilian recruit died after a brutal punishment handed out in a unit that regularly used discipline practices described as "torture" by those who both witnessed and suffered them, a Kyiv Independent investigation can reveal. The man, Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva, died overnight Dec. 28-29, 2025, according to former fellow fighters who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation. The unit in question is a Brazilian-led formation called A

"Thousands, dozens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed on this direction, defending this part of Ukraine," Zelensky said in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan. "We have to understand that Donbas is a part of our independence."

"We agreed to continue and move forward," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

U.S. senators visiting Odesa on Feb. 18 struck a cautious tone when asked whether Special Envoy Steve Witkoff should remain at the center of negotiations with Russia. The remarks place Congress in a delicate position: aware of mounting controversy around the Trump envoy, yet reluctant to directly challenge the president's authority over diplomacy as U.S.-mediated talks with Moscow and Kyiv continue. "I don't think there's an inclination on the part of Congress now to remove him from the peace

The alleged raid was described by Zaluzhnyi as "an act of intimidation," according to AP.

The effective confirmation by five European countries that Russia did kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024 did not surprise those familiar with the Kremlin's track record. But the Feb. 14 statement, which blames Russia for the murder and specifies the kind of poison used, represents a new milestone in the deterioration in Russian-European relations. Previously European countries were more reluctant to antagonize Russia. But Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and Kremlin-linked

Key developments on Feb. 18: * Russian 'mothership' drones prompt Ukraine to weigh passport requirement for SIM card sales * Explosion at Ukrainian military enlistment office declared terrorist attack * Ukraine hits 6 Russian military targets, including S-300VM missile launcher, General Staff says * Ukraine's SBU denies Zaluzhnyi's claim that office was raided in 2022 while army commander Ukraine is considering requiring passport verification for the purchase of local SIM cards in response

Ukraine carried out a series of successful overnight attacks on Feb. 17–18 against military facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied territories.

Anyone hoping for a geopolitically robust and sustainable resolution to Russia's war on Ukraine should quickly re-examine their optimism or at least check their assumptions. Commercial interests, rather than military or political concerns, are driving the United States' talks with Russia. This mercantile approach carries two critical risks. First, Russia's aggression against Ukraine does not stem from an economic rivalry. Talking business with Russia misses the point entirely. Second, the sugg

Customers will be able to send packages up to 30 kilograms to Ukraine via 6,000 UPS Store locations across the U.S., Nova Poshta said in a press release on Feb. 18.

As Ukraine experienced its coldest January in over a decade, Russia launched 4,442 drones and 135 missiles at the country — most of which targeted energy infrastructure, depriving millions of heat, electricity, and water. The scale of Russia's energy terrorism is captured in a striking graph, part of a new dashboard launched last week by Ukrainian energy think tank Green Deal Ukraina (GDU). While Ukraine maintained over 40 gigawatts of installed electricity capacity before the full-scale invas

The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with Bill Browder, investor and longtime sanctions advocate, about why Western sanctions have so far failed to change Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behavior.

Six Russians and four Belarusians will be allowed to compete at the upcoming Games in Milan. It will be the first time the Russian flag has flown at the Paralympics since 2014.

Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 126 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.

Investigators and bomb disposal experts continue to work at the scene, the report read.