Ukraine's military repels Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group in south

1:02 PM

Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 12

11:02 AM

Trump says he spoke with Putin about ending war in Ukraine, New York Post reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine but declined to say how many times they had spoken, the New York Post reported on Feb. 8.

9:13 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 849,320 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

Russia has lost 847,860 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Feb. 9.

8:04 AM

14 buildings damaged in drone attack on Russia's Rostov-on-Don, Russia claims.

At least 76 apartments were damaged, and 215 windows were shattered in a drone attack on Russia's Rostov-on-Don overnight on Feb. 9, according to Mayor Alexander Scriabin.

6:22 AM

Team Ukraine to compete in 2025 Invictus Games with largest-ever delegation.

Ukraine will face Colombia in the Group C Preliminary Round of wheelchair basketball, the first sport of the competition.

5:34 AM

Russia says it sees no progress on disarmament talks with US, media reports.

Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said his country is willing to maintain stable relations with the U.S. administration but emphasized that Washington has yet to take concrete steps toward resuming arms control discussions.

4:52 AM

Russia says its undersea telecom cable in Baltic Sea damaged by 'external impact.'

The damage comes amid a series of recent disruptions to undersea telecom and power cables in the Baltic Sea. Western experts and officials have accused Russia of engaging in hybrid warfare against countries supporting Ukraine.

3:49 AM

NATO military chair visits Ukraine, discusses continued support with Zelensky.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Military Committee Chair Giuseppe Cavo Dragone discussed enhancing coordination of military aid under the Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine framework, a command plan focused on allocating and managing military support.

1:50 AM

Ukraine sending Ziferblat to 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.

The band Ziferblat was selected to represent Ukraine at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest following their victory at the national selection process on Feb. 8.

11:47 PM

UK announces $31 million social recovery aid package for Ukraine.

The UK is allocating 25 million pounds ($31 million) to launch a social recovery initiative in Ukraine called the SPIRIT program, the British government announced on Feb. 8.

9:36 PM

Syrskyi marks first year in office by highlighting key achievements, including strikes on 377 military targets in Russia.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi highlighted key military achievements during his first year in office, including long-range strikes, technological advancements, and NATO-standard training, in a Facebook post on Feb. 8.

7:56 PM

North Korea to start drone production in collaboration with Russia, media reports.

North Korea is expected to begin drone production this year with Russian technical assistance, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Feb. 8, citing undisclosed sources.

6:59 PM

Military to introduce 'special contracts' to motivate younger volunteer fighters, Zelensky says.

Such contracts will have many benefits, including "a very high monetary provision," according to the president. He said the details of such contracts would be made public in the coming days.

6:34 PM

ICC prosecutor who oversaw arrest order for Putin over Ukrainian children deportation included in Trump's nonpublic sanction list, Reuters reports.

British national Khan is the first to be targeted under the sanctions authorized by newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump that "target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies," Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

5:42 PM

Scholz says talk of German peacekeepers in Ukraine 'premature and inappropriate'.

He told the German newspaper RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) that "first there needs to be an end to the conflict and real negotiations," and only then it would be possible to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

5:00 PM

Ukraine says it downed Russian Su-25 warplane in Donetsk Oblast.

"One more Russian attack aircraft has been lost in the Toretsk direction thanks to our air defense troops," the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade said on Telegram.

4:08 PM

Security guarantees for Ukraine 'main issue' in talks with Trump, Zelensky says.

"It is very important, otherwise it will look like a dialogue about Ukraine without Ukraine," Zelensky told Reuters. "It is still important for partners to discuss their issues first, and then have a conversation with the enemy."

2:29 PM

Baltic countries disconnected from Russia's power grid.

"This legacy of occupation meant that Moscow - which uses energy as a weapon - had control of the frequency," the ministry said in a statement on X. "That’s a critical element in maintaining reliable power supply. That dependency ends today!"

12:54 PM

Air Force reports shooting down 67 Russian drones overnight.

The drone attack targeted Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Odesa oblasts, the Air Force said on Telegram.

11:33 AM

Russia claims 36 Ukrainian drones downed, oil refinery attacked.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 36 Ukrainian drones had been shot down by air defense. These include 18 drones over Rostov Oblast, 11 over Volgograd Oblast, five over Belgorod Oblast, and two over Krasnodar Krai.

10:28 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 847,860 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,210 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:21 AM

End war 'as quickly as possible' — US defense secretary outlines Ramstein aims.

Pete Hegseth will "highlight the need for increased European leadership on security assistance to Ukraine" at the Ramstein-format summit in Brussels on Feb. 12, the Pentagon said.

5:06 AM

Trump's pick for FBI chief took money from Russian propagandist, WP reports.

Kash Patel received $25,000 in 2024 from a company run by pro-Kremlin filmmaker Igor Lopatonok.

3:44 AM

US federal judge temporarily blocks Trump's efforts to suspend USAID staff.

The "very limited" restraining order covers the the pending employee suspensions as well as "the accelerated removal of people from their countries," Judge Carl Nichols said following a hearing in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

2:54 AM

Putin acknowledges inflation as key challenge for Russia.

Speaking at a televised meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Feb. 7, Putin noted that consumer prices in Russia rose by 9.5% in 2024 and have climbed further to 9.9% year-on-year this month.