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Two Hamas militants killed in Israeli strike on Palestinian camp in Lebanon

According to the media report, the Israeli strikes targeted a Hamas headquarters and its military base in the Hittin neighborhood

BEIRUT, February 20. /TASS/. At least two Hamas militants were killed in an Israeli drone attack on the Ein El Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, the Lebanon 24 news portal reported.

According to it, the Israeli strikes targeted a Hamas headquarters and its military base in the Hittin neighborhood. A child was reportedly killed and several people were wounded in the attack.

An Israeli air raid on Ein El Hilweh on November 18, 2025 left 13 people dead and four more wounded.

Kiev says US pressures Ukraine to withdraw its armed forces from Donbass

According to Vladimir Zelensky, the US provides Kiev with intelligence assistance "at the same level as before"

Slovak PM warns about response measures if Ukraine playing politics around oil

According to Robert Fico, it can't be ruled out that Ukraine is deliberately delaying the resumption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline

Kiev’s attack on school in Energodar is attempt to disrupt talks — Kherson governor

Vladimir Saldo recalled that the Kiev authorities have previously used children for their own purposes

Medvedev says Russia not doing enough in microelectronics

The senior official stressed the need for Russia to fully provide for itself in certain, particularly important, strategic sectors

Special military operation brings new combat trends — Russian General Staff

In addition to firepower, the range of applications of robotic systems is being expanded in reconnaissance missions, counter-battery warfare, minelaying, delivery of ammunition and supplies to the front, as well as evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield

FACTBOX: Nearly 150 drones target Russian regions at night

One man was killed in Ukraine's attack on Sevastopol

Russian diplomat sees drone attack on Energodar school as attempt to hinder talks

According to Rodion Miroshnik,this attack should be viewed as a provocative act by the Kiev government

US demands from Venezuela to severe economic ties with Iran, Cuba, China, Russia — TV

According to the US-based television broadcaster, Washington put forward several demands to the acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez

Kremlin sees extension of US sanctions as automatic decision

Dmitry Peskov added that the negotiation process with Washington is complicated

Many issues to address Ukrainian crisis mulled in Geneva — Russian deputy foreign minister

The talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine were held in Geneva on February 17-18

Ukrainian lawmaker demands Zelensky's resignation after damning US corruption report

Alexey Goncharenko noted that due to US interest in this case, Vladimir Zelensky is deliberately delaying settlement negotiations and trying to bargain for better conditions for himself

Seven dead in Lake Baikal tourist vehicle tragedy — Emergencies Ministry

Rescuers conducted a survey using an underwater camera

Board of Peace necessary, because other organizations fail to keep global peace — Orban

The Hungarian prime minister said that new initiatives are needed to bring forward the issue of peace globally

Russia’s Filippov wins silver at 2026 Winter Olympics in Ski Mountaineering

Nikita Filippov is the first out of 13 athletes representing Russia under a neutral status at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games to win an Olympic medal

Upgraded Khrizantema-M antitank missile accelerates to hypersonic speed — Rostec

According to the holding company representative, this missile is being used in the special military operation zone in Ukraine

Kiev regime’s functionaries want to flee abroad after its fall — Russian intel agency

This trend is especially evident in Ukrainian diplomatic missions in Western countries

Air defense jets fly ten sorties in one week to intercept spy planes near Russian borders

Seventeen aircraft were conducting air reconnaissance along Russia’s borders

Government stake in VTB to grow to 74.45% of ordinary shares

First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board Dmitry Pianov said the change in the structure of shareholder capital will not affect dividend payments to minority shareholders

Kiev says US pressures Ukraine to withdraw its armed forces from Donbass

According to Vladimir Zelensky, the US provides Kiev with intelligence assistance "at the same level as before"

Russian General Staff uses analytics to counter Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia

Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy noted that the Main Operations Directorate is directly involved in developing and implementing a set of measures to enhance air defense capabilities

Switzerland’s spending on assistance to Ukrainians exceeds $7.7 bln — TV

This is more than 6 billion Swiss francs

Russian troops liberate eight communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 1,310 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Dialogue with Russia essential to resolve Ukraine conflict — former German chancellor

"We must not think only in military terms, which is only a part of the issue, but also use diplomacy," Angela Merkel stressed

Preparations for Putin's visit to China have not yet begun — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov also highlighted that there is a mutual understanding that the visit will occur this year

Russia’s Petrosyan finishes 6th in women’s figure skating at 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy

US' Alysa Liu won the gold in women’s singles

Iran better agree to 'a fair deal' — Trump

The US President was asked what message he would like to convey to the Iranian people

Hungary blocks EU's 90-billion-euro aid package for Ukraine — top diplomat

Peter Szijjarto says the decision will remain in force until Ukraine restarts Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline

US Supreme Court ruling will not affect new trade deal with India — White House

US President Donald Trump says his relationship with India is "fantastic"

Russian stock indices up as Friday's main trading session closes

The yuan-to-ruble rate rose by 6 kopecks to 11.11 rubles

Hungarian PM voices concern over possible US withdrawal from talks on Ukraine

The US might "pack up and leave", Viktor Orban says after a session of the Board of Peace

US may take part in Europe’s SAFE program as weapons supplier — Polish minister

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said he hopes that SAFE will eventually offer not only low-cost loans, but also subsidies for weapons procurements

Marine Le Pen warns EU banning Russian oil tantamount to ‘harakiri’

"The use of this instrument would mean sanctioning the French people, French enterprises, the French economy which would need years to recover," the French presidential candidate cautioned

Declassifying alien files to help cleanse US defense sector of pseudo-science — expert

Alexander Rodin believes that by declassifying alien files, Donald Trump will show the public that some widely popular theories have no scientific backing

Washington police confirms incident with Azerbaijani President Aliyev's motorcade

Law enforcement officers were on the scene with the US Secret Service

Putin’s spokesman: dialogue with Merkel amidst Ukrainian crisis “worth its weight in gold”

Interaction between state figures, in his words, stems from the interests of their countries, since each of them seeks to defend the positions of his or her state

Zelensky’s future hinges on corruption evidence, says ex-PM of Ukraine

Nikolay Azarov noted that Vladimir Zelensky’s current position prevents investigators from involving him in the probe at this stage

Switzerland is being pulled into 'military Schengen' — Lavrov

According to the minister, what the Council of Europe is doing now is being done by the decision of the United States

Snowmageddon in Moscow: nearly three feet of snow on ground

According to the World Meteorological Organization, Moscow’s Vnukovo district was one of the snowiest places on Earth in the last 24 hours

Six Hezbollah militants killed in Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon

Israel also hits underground depots and a bunker on the border with Syria

Ukraine loses over 520,000 troops in 2025 — Russian General Staff

Sergey Rudskoy says total loss of Ukrainian servicemen is estimated at more than 1,5 million

Trump considers large-scale strike on Iran's nuclear targets — media

On Thursday, the US leader said he would give Iran no more than 15 days to reach an agreement

UK government may exclude King's brother from line of succession — Sky News

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is the eighth claimant to the throne

Amazon submits bid to acquire TikTok — NYT

Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that he had no desire to ban TikTok and expressed confidence that a deal for the platform’s sale would be reached

Investments in Siberian rare-earth metal cluster planned to be $9.1 bln

Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander Maslennikov said that over 11,000 jobs of different skills will be created in the cluster

Everyone in EU knows that Ukraine is losing — Slovak premier

Robert Fico added that anti-Russian sanctions had proven to be ineffective

Bayraktar, Novak discuss energy, cooperation prospects

The Turkish Energy Minister noted that he considers it important to continue the dialogue on energy issues

Armed fighting for power between Zelensky and Zaluzhny possible in Kiev — Russian senator

Alexander Voloshin pointed out that in 2022, Valery Zaluzhny threatened to conduct searches and send troops to the heart of Kiev, while now he publicly blames Zelensky for Ukraine's failed counteroffensive in 2023

Iran makes nuclear concession, but won't budge on uranium enrichment — newspaper

Despite talks of a possible freeze, it remains unclear how much transparency Tehran is willing to agree to with the IAEA

Rosatom to float bonds on Chinese market

The maturity period of the issued bonds is no more than three years

More than one-third of Russian pensioners have to work

Russia takes 78th place in the world rating of pensioners' standard of living

Italian journalist detained in Turkey on mission to investigate isolation prisons

International Reporters’ official says the organization witnesses a second detention of its journalist in six months

Merz re-elected as Christian Democratic Union Chairman — TV

He was voted in by 878 delegates at the CDU's federal congress

Africa's economy projected to grow faster than Asia’s in 2026 — portal

Experts say that average economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa will reach 4.6% in 2026, while the combined growth of Asian economies will slow to approximately 4.1% over the same period

Ukrainian presidential election due in fall 2026, parliamentary - in spring 2027 — media

According to the sources, Ukrainian officials are discussing a possibility of holding the vote while the martial law remains in force

Guterres’ position on Donbass due to pressure of Western states — expert

"I think that this statement by the secretary general pours water into the mill of the policy of neocolonialism," Scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society Mikhail Myagkov said

Police evacuate people from several buildings in Paris due to bomb threats — BFMTV

According to policemen, the reports concerned the Montparnasse Tower and Sciences Po

Militants shell 24 settlements in Syria in last 24 hours — Russian reconciliation center

Militants from illegal armed groups shelled settlements in Syria's Aleppo, Latakia, Idlib and Hama provinces

Russian stocks up as main trading session opens

As of 10:15 a.m. Moscow time, the indices were up by 0.16% at 2,777.15 points and 1,141.52 points, respectively

Russia’s new Oko-2, Oko-3 recon drones deployed in special military operation zone

The Oko-2 drone has a range of up to 60 km, while the Oko-3 has a range of up to 130 km

Ukraine postpones restart of oil supplies to Slovakia until February 24

Russian oil supplies to Hungary over the Druzhba oil pipeline via Ukraine were halted since early February

Dutch woman inherits collection of dozens of Rembrandt engravings — portal

Charlotte Meyer was unaware of the authorship of the "beautiful prints" for years

Russia returns to electronic engineering pool — first deputy PM

Denis Manturov added that Russia should master the new lithography machine for 130 nanometers

FACTBOX: Drone attack on southern Russia causes plant fire, apartment damage

Emergency services are conducting operations to locate and dispose of possible drone debris

Hamas leader’s killing was accidental, Israeli military’s chief of staff says

"They did not know who they were shooting at," Herzi Halevi said

No progress on 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions, talks continue — source

According to the statement, the Cyprus presidency will continue working all over the weekend to reach a tradeoff by Monday

Europe lost right to sit at Ukraine table with Moscow betrayal — Russian Foreign Ministry

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that Europe needs to earn back trust and learn to keep its word, especially with regard to certain norms, rules and laws

Belarus will offer Russia to deploy extra 15 planes due to NATO activity near border

Russia will be offered to deploy up to 15 more warplanes in Belarus, in connection with NATO activity near the Belarusian border

Iran intends to strengthen cooperation with EAEU, BRICS, SCO — president

The full-scale Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and Iran entered into force in May 2025

Journalist Lucidi participates in informal meeting of UN Security Council on Ukraine

Another rapporteur is Norwegian political scientist Glenn Diesen, who was unable to attend the meeting in person because his flight was mysteriously cancelled

Russian forces step up strikes on Ukrainian military enterprises — General Staff

Sergey Rudskoy says the measures cut Ukraine’s capabilities to equip its army

Russia’s non-resource non-energy exports total almost $157 bln in 2025

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Roman Chekushov said that growth was demonstrated by virtually all sectors of industry in terms of export

Russia co-authors resolution on Day against Colonialism — Permanent Mission to UN

The resolution proclaims December 14 as the International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations, starting in 2025

Russia expects Serbian prime minister’s visit in December — Putin

The inter-governmental commission of the two countries works on a regular basis, the Russian President said

Serbia plans to sign a new gas contract with Russia by March 20 — Srbijagas CEO

According to Dusan Bajatovic, negotiations with Gazprom Export representatives took place in St. Petersburg and resulted in an agreement in principle on extending gas supplies

Russia prohibits transferring data about genetic research of Russians abroad

The correspondent amendment to a federal act was initiated by the government

Putin’s interview with US journalist racks 150 mln views on X social network

The video was "liked" by more than 860,000 users

Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia pledge to allocate over $4 bln to support Gaza Strip

On January 22, representatives of 19 countries signed the charter establishing the Board of Peace for Gaza in a ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos

US lacks air defenses in Middle East for Iran operation — NBC

According to sources, the Pentagon is building up its military presence in the region by sending additional ships, air defense systems and submarines there

Russian, Ukrainian negotiating chiefs hold closed-door meeting in Geneva

The meeting followed the main round of negotiations in Geneva

Generals Moskalik, Sarvarov killed in Kiev regime’s terrorist attacks — General Staff

Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy noted that with the deaths of the generals, the troops "lost true professionals, loyal comrades, and true patriots"

US Supreme Court rules against Trump’s import tariffs

Six judges voted for this decision, while three were against it

Zelensky's order to develop battle plan bad news for Ukrainians — senator

Grigory Karasin highlighted that Zelensky was too dependent on his Western curators

Russia’s non-resource non-energy exports projected at $155 bln in 2026

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Roman Chekushov said the ministry expects the trend of growth of high-tech exports to continue

Russian space firm working on satellites with flexible payloads

The project envisages resetting the operational modes to re-focus the retransmission power towards areas with the higher demand for data traffic

Russia strengthening its western border security — General Staff

According to Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy, equipping the general purpose forces with modern military equipment remains a priority

Pistorius rules out Germany’s participation in French nuclear deterrence program

The defense minister reminded that Germany, under international treaties, has committed itself to never possessing nuclear weapons

As Kiev attempts to delay peace, its troops try to kill civilians — Russian senator

In Energodar, no one was injured in a UAV attack, according to a Russian senator from the Kherson region

Europe in decline, other kind of war: statements by Lavrov

Sergey Lavrov stressed that Russia is ready to engage with reasonable and pragmatic counterparts

Five of nine Lake Baikal victims identified, lone survivor set to talk to investigators

During the journey, the vehicle transporting the tourists fell into a three-meter-wide opening in the ice

Child present among Chinese tourists who died on Lake Baikal

Seven bodies have been located using an underwater camera

Rukban tribal leaders say they trust Russia, Syria

They also expressed gratitude to the government of Syria for their efforts to accommodate of Rukban refugees

US interested in lifting anti-Russian sanctions due to lucrative projects — Putin's envoy

Kirill Dmitriev stressed that the portfolio of potential Russia-US projects exceeds $14 trillion

Russian operators now obliged to shut down communication services on FSB request

The amendment to the law exempts operators from responsibility for the blackouts requested by the FSB

Trumps says is considering limited military strike on Iran

The US president refrained from giving further details

Russia calls for restraint from all participants in escalation around Iran — Kremlin

Russia continues to develop relations with Iran, Dmitry Peskov said

US looks into possibility of targeting individual leaders in Iran — Reuters

No details on who will be viewed as a target are available

Macron, Starmer plan to hold Coalition of the Willing meeting on February 24 — media

The newspaper reports that the meeting will be held online

Russia’s new nuclear-powered sub to enter shipbuilders’ trials in White Sea in June

The vessel is undergoing start-up and adjustment works, a source revealed

Defense minister says Israeli military to stay in Gaza forever

Israel will not allow "threats of annihilation" in the future, Defense Minister Israel Katz says

Zelensky inventing battle plans to fuel 'war of attrition,' get more money

Vladimir Zelensky's future depends entirely on this conflict and on those who have invested in it, including arms manufacturers and others who expect results, Alexey Chepa, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said

Press review: India to continue buying Russian oil as US amasses major force near Iran

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, February 20th