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rvps2001.bsky.social
Russia-Ukraine Daily News
@rvps2001.bsky.social
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I run a daily newsletter about Russia, Ukraine, and the war:
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Russia-Ukraine Daily News @rvps2001.bsky.social · Dec 19
A personal plea ☺️

1. I'm struggling to grow my newsletter despite the fact that it's one of the best in its little niche 😁 So please do subscribe or, if you already have, encourage others to do so:
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Thank you ⬇️

1/3🧵
Russia-Ukraine Daily News
The latest news about Russia and Ukraine, hand-picked for you every weekday morning (09:30 GMT+3).
russia-ukraine-newsletter.beehiiv.com
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇺🇦 Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. and former Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi claimed in an interview that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) raided his office in September 2022. The SBU has denied the allegation.

kyivindependent.com/zaluzhnyi-cl...

The interview: apnews.com/article/ukra...
Ukraine's Security Service denies Zaluzhnyi's claim that it raided his office in 2022
The alleged raid was described by Zaluzhnyi as "an act of intimidation," according to AP.
kyivindependent.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:11 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇴 #NATO should shift counter-drone equipment, radars and air defense missiles to the Black Sea as part of a new allied mission to deter #Russia, Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță told POLITICO.

www.politico.eu/article/roma...

#Romania
Romania calls for NATO Black Sea mission
The plea comes as Romania faces mounting aerial and maritime security threats from Russia, Defense Minister Radu Miruță says.
www.politico.eu
February 18, 2026 at 12:58 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇪🇺 The EU’s sports commissioner won’t be going to the opening ceremony of the Paralympics over a decision to allow athletes from #Russia and Belarus to fly their national flags.

www.politico.eu/article/eu-b...

#Europe #Olympics
EU boycotts Paralympics opening ceremony over Russia’s return
Across various sporting events, athletes from Russia and Belarus have had to compete as neutrals since the invasion of Ukraine.
www.politico.eu
February 18, 2026 at 12:57 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 The Insider identifies another 160 companies making purchases on behalf of the Russian military.

If these were all to be added to sanctions lists at the same time, it could deal a serious blow to Russia’s military production.

theins.ru/en/inv/289291
Suppliers of death: The Insider identifies another 160 companies making purchases on behalf of the Russian military
The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom face two main difficulties when imposing sanctions aimed at disrupting Russia’s military production. First, it is not always clear which g...
theins.ru
February 18, 2026 at 10:30 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇪🇺 The European Commission will on Wednesday announce plans to invest in EU regions bordering #Russia, Belarus and #Ukraine that are suffering economically because of the war.

www.politico.eu/article/eu-r...

#europe
EU wants to save regions on Russia’s doorstep from economic malaise
European Commission wants to pour money into border areas, but there won’t be any new funds from the EU’s current budget.
www.politico.eu
February 18, 2026 at 7:07 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇺🇲 The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in a Florida-based investigation into perceived adversaries of #Trump and the U.S. government’s response to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, AP reports.

apnews.com/article/trum...

#usa #russia
New subpoenas issued in inquiry on response to 2016 Russian election interference, AP sources say
The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in an investigation into perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump and the U.S. government’s response to Russian interference in the 2016 presiden...
apnews.com
February 18, 2026 at 7:06 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 🇺🇦 ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin has not prepared Russian society for the idea of possible Russian concessions and compromises to end the war.

understandingwar.org/research/rus...

#russia #ukraine
February 18, 2026 at 7:05 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺🇧🇾 Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will compete under their nations' flags at the upcoming Winter Paralympics.

www.bbc.com/sport/articl...

#Russia
Winter Paralympics 2026: Six Russians and four Belarusians to compete under national flags
Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will compete under their nations' flags at the upcoming Winter Paralympics.
www.bbc.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:04 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
💬 The Ukrainian people would reject a peace deal that involves #Ukraine unilaterally withdrawing from the eastern Donbas region and turning it over to #Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios in an interview Tuesday.

www.axios.com/2026/02/17/u...
Zelensky says Ukrainian public won't let him hand Russia territory
"Emotionally, people will never forgive this," Zelensky told Axios.
www.axios.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:06 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Deep strike drones operated by the Security Service of #Ukraine successfully hit a large Russian chemicals plant that supplies the country's explosives production, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.

kyivindependent.com/sbu-strikes-...
SBU strikes chemical factory used for explosives production deep inside Russia
The attack on the Metafrax Chemicals plant in Perm Krai was carried out overnight between Feb. 16-17 by deep strike specialists from the SBU's Alpha unit.
kyivindependent.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:19 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 🇸🇪 #Russia has stepped up its hybrid threat activities and seems willing to take greater risks in the area surrounding #Sweden, the head of Sweden’s military intelligence told AFP on Tuesday.

english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2...
Russia increasing hybrid threats around Sweden: Swedish military intelligence
Russia has stepped up its hybrid threat activities and seems willing to take greater risks in the area surrounding Sweden, the head of Sweden’s military
english.alarabiya.net
February 17, 2026 at 5:16 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇪🇺 🇷🇺 The EU’s attempt to penalize foreign ports and banks that #Russia uses to illicitly sell oil is running into opposition, threatening to weaken the bloc’s latest sanctions package.

1/3🧵

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
EU Countries’ Resistance Risks Blunting Latest Russia Sanctions
The European Union’s attempt to penalize foreign ports and banks that Russia uses to illicitly sell oil is running into opposition, threatening to weaken the bloc’s latest sanctions package.
www.bloomberg.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:11 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇮🇹🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇧 Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have sent their representatives to the third round of Ukraine-Russia-US talks in Geneva, La Repubblica reports.

newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/four-eu...
Four European countries join Ukraine-Russia talks in Geneva
Read more
newsukraine.rbc.ua
February 17, 2026 at 5:05 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Three workers at the Sloviansk Thermal Power Station in Donetsk Oblast were killed, and another was injured on Feb. 17 when a Russian FPV drone struck their car, the Energy Ministry said.

kyivindependent.com/russian-dron...

#Russia #Ukraine
Russian drone strike on civilian car kills 3 energy workers in Donetsk Oblast
The civilian car was struck in the town of Mykolaivka, located east of the city of Sloviansk and only around ten kilometers from the front line.
kyivindependent.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:46 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Ukrainian drones hit the Taman oil terminal in Russia's southern Krasnodar region and a chemicals plant in the Perm region near the Ural mountains overnight, Ukraine's SBU domestic security service said on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Ukraine hits oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar, chemicals plant in Perm, SBU says
Ukrainian drones hit the Taman oil terminal in Russia's southern Krasnodar region and a chemicals plant in the Perm region near the Ural mountains overnight, Ukraine's SBU domestic security service sa...
www.reuters.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:24 PM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇺🇦🇩🇪 Ukrainian service members with frontline combat experience are expected to begin training soldiers of Germany’s armed forces in the near future, focusing on drone operations, counter-drone tactics, and battlefield coordination systems.

united24media.com/latest-news/...

#Ukraine
German Army to Learn Drone Warfare From Ukrainian Battlefield Veterans
Ukrainian veterans may soon train Bundeswehr units in drone use, anti-drone defense and mobile battlefield coordination, per Der Spiegel.
united24media.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:20 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Units of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have struck Russian military infrastructure in occupied territories, destroying a storage site for an Iskander missile system and a remote piloting point of the “Rubikon” unit.

united24media.com/latest-news/...

#Ukraine #Russia
Ukraine Destroys Iskander Missile Depot and “Rubikon” Control Center in Temporary Occupied Territory
Ukraine’s SOF says FP-2 drones hit Russian rear sites in occupied Crimea and Zaporizhzhia, damaging an Iskander storage and a Rubikon post.
united24media.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:17 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇫🇷 French authorities have let the seized oil tanker GRINCH leave territorial waters after the company owning the vessel had to pay a penalty worth "several million euros," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

#France #Russia
Suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker GRINCH allowed to leave France after paying fine
French authorities have let the seized oil tanker GRINCH leave territorial waters after the company owning the vessel had to pay a penalty worth "several million euros," French Foreign Minister Jean-N...
www.reuters.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:10 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Russian forces pounded Ukrainian power infrastructure before a new round of peace talks, killing three energy workers and leaving tens of thousands of people without power and heat, officials said on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com/business/ene...

#Russia #Ukraine
Russia pummels Ukraine's power grid before talks
Russian forces pounded Ukrainian power infrastructure before a new round of peace talks, killing three energy workers and leaving tens of thousands of people without power and heat, officials said.
www.reuters.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:08 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Russian forces advanced near Platonivka and in the city of Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast, while Ukrainian Defense Forces cleared an enemy incursion area near Bilytske in the Pokrovsk district, the DeepState reported on Feb. 17.

english.nv.ua/russian-war/...

#russia #ukraine
Russian forces advance in Myrnohrad – DeepState
Russian forces advanced near Platonivka and in the city of Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast, while Ukrainian Defense Forces cleared an enemy incursion area near Bilytske in the Pokrovsk district, the DeepS...
english.nv.ua
February 17, 2026 at 9:47 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺📉 The Russian government will raise freight tariffs on Russian Railways by 1% from March 1, a move aimed at shoring up the company as it struggles with falling traffic and mounting debt.

www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/17/r...

#Russia
Russia to Hike Cargo Rates to Support Rail Monopoly Amid Mounting Losses - The Moscow Times
The Russian government will raise freight tariffs on Russian Railways (RZhD) by 1% from March 1, a move aimed at shoring up the company as it struggles with falling traffic and mounting debt.
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:14 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇷🇺 #Russia could deploy its navy to prevent European powers from seizing its vessels and may retaliate against European shipping if Russian ships are seized, Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of Putin, was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Putin ally warns European powers over seizure of Russian vessels
Russia could deploy its navy to prevent European powers from seizing its vessels and may retaliate against European shipping if Russian ships are seized, Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President V...
www.reuters.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:04 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇦🇿 Ruben Vardanyan, a founder of one of Moscow’s first investment banks, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in #Azerbaijan

www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
Billionaire Vardanyan gets 20 years in Azerbaijani prison, state media says
Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian-born billionaire banker who served as a senior official in the breakaway Armenian administration of Nagorno-Karabakh before its collapse in 2023, was sentenced to 20 years...
www.reuters.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:03 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
🇸🇰 PM Fico, who is close to Putin and opposes sending military aid to #Ukraine, insists Slovaks have nothing to fear from #Russia

But with the war uncomfortably close to home, his gov't has vowed to double the capacity of the Cold War-era nuclear fallout shelters.

www.france24.com/en/live-news...
Slovakia revamps bunkers with Ukraine war uncomfortably close
The war in neighbouring Ukraine feels distant to many in the Slovak city of Nitra but the local council is preparing for the worst and revamping its Cold War-era nuclear fallout shelters.
www.france24.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:47 AM
rvps2001.bsky.social
💬 #Trump on the trilateral talks in Geneva on 17-18 February: "We have big talks. It's gonna be very easy."

He added that "Ukraine better come to the table fast" 🤡

www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...

So, once again pressure on #Ukraine and not a word about #Russia 🤬

#usa
Trump on Ukraine-Russian talks: Ukraine better come to the table fast
US President Donald Trump said before trilateral talks in Geneva that Ukraine should quickly sit down at the negotiating table with Russia.
www.pravda.com.ua
February 17, 2026 at 7:41 AM