News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

Russia launched a combined missile and drone attack across Ukraine early on Feb. 26, targeting Kyiv and other cities and causing damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

The number includes 1,360 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The suspect in the murder of former Ukrainian top official Andriy Portnov was arrested in the German town of Heinsberg, Spanish National Police reported on Feb. 25.

The Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry said the agreements include cooperation in the production of aerial and ground drones, as well as preparations to scale up products on the European market.

President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call on Feb. 25 with his American counterpart Donald Trump ahead of planned talks between senior officials from both countries in Geneva.

A Kremlin spokesperson questioned "whether there's any point in holding a summit" between Putin and Zelensky as long as the Ukrainian side maintains its current position in negotiations.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the launch of Ukrainian drone company Ukrspecsystems' production in the U.K. has "a deep strategic logic" for integration into the British defense industry.

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York speaks with Olha Polishchuk, a conflict data analyst who tracks military and civilian deaths in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The suspects in the embezzlement scheme were caught "red-handed" while trying to illegally transfer the money, and $320,000 was seized from them, according to Kravchenko.

The Kyiv Independent’s separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine’s politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations.