CloseUkrainian soldiers have made battlefield gains on the eastern frontlines after Russian troops lost access to Starlink satellite internet, a US-based think tank said.
Ukrainian forces managed to recapture 78 sq miles from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday, equivalent to the Russian gains for the entire month of December, data from the Institute for the Study of War showed.
It marks the most land retaken by Kyiv’s forces in such a short period since a June 2023 counteroffensive, undoing weeks of Russian advances to the east of Zaporizhzhia city at a crucial time ahead of talks with Russia today.
Delegations will meet in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday for a fresh round of US-mediated peace talks that the Kremlin says are likely to focus on land, the main sticking point.
Russia is still asserting hardline demands that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk that Moscow has failed to capture – something Kyiv refuses to do.
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A critical point for Ukraine – and for Europe
Trilateral talks to continue tomorrow, says Russia
Ahead of crunch talks with Ukraine in Geneva today, the Kremlin said that three-way talks involving the US will continue tomorrow.
James Reynolds17 February 2026 09:25
Trump pressures Ukraine ahead of peace talks in Geneva
Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to reach a deal with Russia ahead of the US-brokered talks in Geneva.
“It’s easy… Ukraine better come to the table, fast,” the US president said, speaking to the reporters onboard Air Force One while en route to Washington.
Officials in Kyiv confirmed a Ukrainian delegation was heading to Geneva on Monday for another round of talks with Russian officials, ahead of next week's fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Trump’s remarks did not call for action from the Russian side, which has been seeking Ukraine’s territory and political concessions from Kyiv without budging from its demands.
Moscow wants Ukraine to cede the entirety of the Donbas area, including areas it has failed to capture by force.
James Reynolds17 February 2026 09:16
What to expect from talks in Geneva today
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine will be meeting in Geneva today for the latest round of talks to end the war.
These talks – the third round – are expected to continue through Tuesday and Wednesday, focusing on the thorniest question of the conflict – the fate of Ukrainian territory part held by Russia.
Moscow wants Ukraine to cede the entirety of the Donbas area, which Ukraine maintains it cannot and will not allow.
Russia’s delegation will be headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin. He is joined by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov and special envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
The head of Ukraine's delegation, Rustem Umerov, said on Telegram that his team was already in Geneva looking forward "to constructive work and substantive meetings on security and humanitarian issues".
James Reynolds17 February 2026 09:00
Odesa feels brunt of overnight attacks
An overnight strike on Ukraine's southern Odesa region caused "incredibly serious" damage to power infrastructure supplying the regional capital, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said.
"Repairs will take a long time to restore the equipment to working order," the company said on social media.
James Reynolds17 February 2026 08:45
In pictures: Firefighters work at the scene of damage in southern Dnipropetrovsk
James Reynolds17 February 2026 08:30
Nine injured following 'attack on energy infrastructure' in Ukraine
Volodymr Zelensky says that rescue and repair efforts are ongoing in many regions of Ukraine following heavy strikes overnight.
Writing on social media, the president describes a “combined strike, deliberately calculated to cause as much damage as possible to our energy sectors”, which has been pounded by Russian strikes through the coldest winter in almost 20 years.
“In Odesa, tens of thousands of people are without heat and water supply after the drone strike,” he writes.
“In total, 12 regions were targeted and, unfortunately, 9 people have been reported injured, including children. More than ten residential buildings and railway infrastructure were damaged.”
James Reynolds17 February 2026 08:00
Russia 'launches over 400 drones and missiles at Ukraine'
Ukraine is claiming that Russia launched 396 drones and 29 missiles overnight, representing a recent high.
The Air Force announced in its morning report that four ballistic missiles and 18 drones struck 13 different targets across the country.
It said Ukrainian forces shot down 25 missiles and 367 drones.
James Reynolds17 February 2026 07:45
Putin increasingly reliant on foreign fighters to fight Ukraine war, says Healey
Vladimir Putin is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign fighters to fight his war in Ukraine, defence secretary John Healey said.
Russia is facing more losses than it can replace with mobilising more troops, he said, speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The mounting losses are forcing Russia to depend more on thousands of foreign fighters, including recruits from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Cuba, Nigeria and Senegal, he said.
They are "often recruited under false pretences and press-ganged under pressure without necessarily realising that they’re destined for the Russian meat machine on the front line of Ukraine,” Healey said.
His remarks come after Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov told his European counterparts that Kyiv was able to inflict more Russian casualties than the Kremlin was able to recruit over the last two months.
Healey added that North Korean troops committed to fighting for Russia are estimated to be around 17,000.
"Putin likes to give the impression that they’re making relentless and inevitable progress but he’s weaker than he’s been and more reliant than he’s been on foreign fighters,” Healey said.
Arpan Rai17 February 2026 07:29
Russians, Americans and Ukrainians: Who is participating in today's peace talks
The high-stakes peace talks to end the war in Ukraine are set to begin in Geneva today. Here’s what we know about the officials heading there to participate in the talks.
Ukrainian General Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, posted a photograph on Telegram showing himself standing next to a train with other members of the negotiating team, which is due to be led in Geneva by Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's national security and defence council chief.
Entering or leaving Ukraine entails a long overland journey, even for VIPs, as the country's airspace is closed because of the war.
Vladimir Putin's adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow's team of negotiators in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022 and who has forcefully pushed Putin's war goals, is returning to lead Moscow's delegation.
Medinsky has written several history books that focus on exposing purported Western plots against Russia and denigrate Ukraine.
Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russian military intelligence, and deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin, along with other officials, will also be in the delegation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev will also travel to Geneva for separate talks with the US on economic cooperation, according to Peskov.
Moscow and Kyiv are keen to offer future business opportunities to Washington.
It is not clear which American officials would be in Geneva. At recent talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the Trump administration was represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Arpan Rai17 February 2026 07:20
