These are important developments since day 1,457 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Published February 20, 2026
Here’s what happened on Friday, February 20th.
finding
Russian forces launched 448 attacks in one day on 34 settlements in Ukraine’s frontline Zaporozhye region, injuring a six-year-old child and damaging homes, cars and other infrastructure, the region’s governor, Ivan Fedorov, wrote on the Telegram app. A Russian drone, missile and artillery attack on Ukraine’s Kherson region injured five people and damaged homes, including seven high-rise buildings, the local military junta announced on Telegram. Russian attacks continued in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions, but local officials said “fortunately no one was injured.” The Kyiv Independent news agency said the night was “unusually quiet” after weeks of “intense fires” in both areas. A man was killed by debris from a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Governor Mikhail Razbodzhaev announced in a telegram. A Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at an oil depot in Velikiye Luki, Russia’s Pskov region, local official Mikhail Vedernikov said, according to Russian state news agency Tass. According to TASS, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian military shot down 301 Ukrainian drones, 10 missiles and two guided bombs within 24 hours.
peace process
US President Donald Trump’s peace commission held its first meeting in Washington, D.C., without Belarus, despite Trump extending an invitation to ally Russia. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its delegation to the conference did not receive the necessary visas to enter the United States “despite carrying out all necessary procedures.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs questioned, “If the organizers cannot complete even the basic formalities for us to participate, what kind of peace, what kind of sequence of steps are we talking about?”
French Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pascal Confavreux expressed surprise that the European Commission had sent a member to attend Trump’s meeting, noting that “he has not been ordered by the (European) Council to attend.”
Confabroux also said France would not join President Trump’s initiative until the Peace Commission returns its focus to Gaza in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution. Several European Union member states said they would not participate in the peace council after President Trump extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and is the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.
regional security
Dutch intelligence agencies AIVD and MIVD said Thursday that European countries, including the Netherlands, face an increasing number of hybrid threats from Russia, including cyber-attacks, sabotage, influence operations and disinformation.
energy
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that Ukraine’s Russian-owned Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is operating on its only remaining main power transmission line after losing its only backup power line more than a week ago. Hungary is considering suspending electricity and gas exports to Ukraine and will take such steps unless Ukraine resumes oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff told a news conference. The Druzhba pipeline passes partially through Ukraine and is important for transporting Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Oil has reportedly stopped flowing since the pipeline was attacked in January, with Kiev blaming Russia. France’s Economy, Finance and Industry Minister Laurent Lescure said his country would provide Ukraine with an additional 71 million euros ($83.5 million) for services such as energy, health care and demining.
politics and diplomacy
The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service accused Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app Telegram, of condoning criminal activity on the platform, further escalating the Russian government’s attempts to restrict the service many Russians and Ukrainians use to communicate about the war.
Rejecting Russian government claims that foreign intelligence services could view messages sent by Russian soldiers on Telegram, the popular platform said it had found no encryption code breach and called Russia’s claims a “deliberate fabrication,” according to Reuters.
military aid
Sweden announced a 12.9 billion crown ($1.42 billion) military aid package to Ukraine, including air defense, drones, long-range missiles and ammunition.
