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Record number of journalists killed worldwide in 2025 — report

According to the document, at least 104 of the 129 journalists and media workers were killed amid conflicts in 2025

NEW YORK, February 26. /TASS/. Last year 129 journalists were killed around the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), marking the highest figure since CPJ began documenting cases in 1992, the report published on the NGO’s website said.

According to the document, at least 104 of the 129 journalists and media workers were killed amid conflicts in 2025, with 86 of those deaths attributed to the Israel Defense Forces. In 2024, amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, 85 employees of Palestinian media outlets lost their lives.

The CPJ report highlights a sharp increase in deaths caused by drones, rising from just two documented cases in 2023 to 39 in 2025.

According to CPJ data, 124 journalists were killed in 2024 overall. This marks the second consecutive year of rising fatalities.

US fears strike on Iran could carry political costs due to risk of casualties — Politico

According to the report, Washington fears that prolonged strikes on Iran could drain US weapons stockpiles, leaving the country more vulnerable

Share of oil, gas revenues in Russian budget to be less than 20% — Finance Minister

The Russian budget indicators for this year may be amended subject to the market situation, Anton Siluanov noted

Russia initiated third stage of Eastern Range upgrade — PM

The second phase of the program was designed until late 2024

US set to discuss with Iran its conventional weapons — Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out that Iran possesses a very large number of ballistic missiles and naval assets that threaten US shipping

EU turning into military alliance, preparing for war with Russia — top Hungarian diplomat

According to Peter Szijjarto, the current EU leadership has forgotten that the union was created to ensure peace and prosperity for its member states and now seeks to "impose military obligations on them"

Starlink sells user terminal data to US intelligence agencies — expert

Dmitry Kuzyakin emphasized that disseminating sensitive information to the general public abroad is unacceptable

Ukraine to resume oil supplies to Slovakia in March at the earliest — Fico

Kiev has repeatedly postponed the time for the restart of oil deliveries to Bratislava, with February 26 indicated as the latest deadline before

Russian forces repelling Ukrainian attacks, advancing near Gulyaipole — expert

According to Andrey Marochko, serious fighting continues near the settlement of Ternovatoye

Ukrainian troops facing difficulties due to Starlink shutdown — commander

According to communications platoon commander of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the Ukrainian reconnaissance drones and FPV drones are now flying less frequently and the operation of their live monitoring and recording systems has been significantly reduced

British, French embassies make cliched statements about nukes for Kiev

According to Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev, there was no responsible, serious, or official high-level reaction

Press review: EU delays Ukraine association as US businesses demand Trump tariff refunds

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, February 25th

Confirmation of new UN Secretary-General expected in fall — Russian Foreign Ministry

Kirill Logvinov, Director of the International Organizations Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, explained that following "interactive dialogues" scheduled for late July, the process will advance to candidate discussions within the UN Security Council

Orban blames Zelensky for trying to drag Hungary into Ukraine conflict

The Hungarian prime minister added that Vladimir Zelensky's actions "endanger the secure and affordable energy supply of Hungarian families"

Russia’s Krasnopol-M2 guided shell exceeds Western analogues in accuracy — Rostec

The use of these guided munitions turns self-propelled artillery units and towed howitzers from area suppression weapons into a tool for the precise destruction of enemy targets, Rostec representatives said

Liberating Grafskoye, Russian troops advancing southeast of settlement — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that Grafskoye has "extremely difficult terrain," which is affecting the speed of the Russian army’s advance in this area

China to support development of Germany, other countries — Xi Jinping

The Chinese leader stressed that was still following the path of peaceful development

Russian National Guard troops take out Ukrainian radar station in Kharkov area

Servicemen of the National Guard of Russia struck the target using FPV attack drones

US lawmakers expects authorities to share details about incident with boat off Cuba

The Representative from Florida Maria Elvira Salazar noted that she is closely monitoring reports

Switzerland to apply paragraphs of 19th EU sanction package against Russia

Measures include the complete ban on purchases and imports of Russian liquefied natural gas and the ban on transactions with certain cryptocurrencies pegged to the Russian ruble

Giatsint-B howitzer crews disrupt rotation of Ukrainian troops in Dobropolye area

During airborne reconnaissance, an unmanned aerial vehicle operator of the group’s unmanned systems troops located hidden enemy positions

Ukrainian troops suffer heavy losses in Dnepropetrovsk Region — Russian security official

According to the source, the enemy is attempting to resist the advance of Russian troops, relying on surprise and taking advantage of weather conditions

Yandex tops ranking of most expensive companies on Runet in 2025 — Forbes

Ozon was ranked second in the ranking, followed by the merged company Wildberries and Russ

China urges US to avoid war with Iran — Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning added that China is "ready to continue acting as a responsible major power" in the current situation

Zelensky regime may turn into Islamic State’s twin — Dutch expert

Kees van der Pijl emphasized that the efforts of Russia and its allies in the Ukrainian peace process were crucial in preventing such a development

US doesn’t refuse from talks with Iran, but has other option — JD Vance

US Vice President recalled that President Donald Trump is sending his two best negotiators to Geneva to continue efforts "try to strike the best deal possible"

Consequences of Ukrainian attacks: seven people die, medical unit destroyed

Kiev struck the Kurkovichi village in the Bryansk Region using kamikaze drones

British army, air force begin preparations for deployment to Ukraine — Defense Secretary

Defense Secretary John Healey stressed he had already accelerated the allocation of $270 million so that the forces have the necessary equipment for deployment

Putin, Lukashenko to hold meeting of Union State’s Supreme State Council

The meeting will be held in Moscow

Kurchatov Center’s chief shows Putin model of lunar settlement, small nuclear power plant

Mikhail Kovalchuk noted that while developing the model, the researchers had an idea of covering it with a special cap

Jailed Gagauz head rejects Chisinau’s proposal to resign in exchange for closing her case

Relations between Chisinau and Comrat became strained in 2023 after Evghenia Gutsul won elections in the autonomy and proclaimed a course toward closer relations with Russia, criticizing Chisinau’s policy of confrontation with Moscow

US president mentions Russia twice in record State of the Union address

Donald Trump spoke of Russia in the context of the Ukrainian conflict and as he made a reference to the presence of Russian weapons off Venezuelan coast

If Kiev rejects talks, Russia to oust Ukrainian troops from new regions by force — envoy

Gennady Gatilov pointed out that Kiev "has to recognize the incorporation of the new regions into Russia and withdraw its armed forces from these territories"

IN BRIEF: Russia’s stance on UK, French plans to hand over nuclear weapons to Kiev

Paris and London’s plans to transfer nuclear technologies to Kiev for the purpose of creating a bomb as bordering on insanity, Dmitry Peskov said

Russia demands financial blockade of Cuba be ended — diplomat

The Russian side supports Havana in its legitimate demands for an immediate end to the US trade, economic, and financial blockade, Kirill Logvinov said

Russia to test digital ruble use soon — PM

This is a challenging case, Mikhail Mishustin added

Russia could launch nuclear strikes on France, UK if they arm Kiev with nukes — Medvedev

"This is the proportional response that Russia has the right to," the Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman stressed

Iranian government confirms talks with US in Geneva on February 26

Spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani added that Iranian Foreign Ministry officials will report on the progress of the consultations

Russia develops first tactical guided munition with range of over 100 km

The system was created in record time based on the experience of active deployment of guided munitions in the special military operation zone

Mobile air defense teams down over 30 UAVs in Belgorod border area in month

According to the report, communications with radar operators allows for providing timely warning of Ukrainian UAVs which fly past the mobile air defense teams

Russian troops apply pressure on Ukrainian forces in Krasny Liman — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that the enemy had partially succeeded in stabilizing the situation in Krasny Liman

Cuba detains accomplice in attack on patrol boat

According to Cuba’s Interior Ministry, Hernandez Santos "has already confessed to his actions"

Food crisis invented by West, Kiev to blame Russia — diplomat

Director of the Russian foreign ministry’s international organizations department Kirill Logvinov stressed that there have never been any food shortages in reality

Russian diplomat warns of risks of terrorists getting access to toxic agents due to Kiev

Close contacts between the Kiev regime and terrorist groups in the Middle East and Africa have been repeatedly confirmed, Kirill Logvinov said

FACTBOX: What we know about incident with US-registered speedboat in Cuban waters

According to Cuba’s Interior Ministry, four people aboard the Florida-based speedboat were killed, and another six were injured

Inflation decline in Russia creates base for economic growth — Novak

"Inflation dropped from 9.5% to 5.6% as of the end of the last year," the deputy prime minister noted

New Dutch cabinet missed opportunity to restore dialogue with Russia — embassy

The Russian embassy stressed that Russia has "duly taken note" of this signal from the kingdom’s authorities

Msta-S crew hits Ukrainian fort in Dnepropetrovsk with Krasnopol shell

Live recording confirmed a direct hit on permanent firing positions and dugouts buried deep underground, as well as the destruction of enemy personnel and communications equipment

US to authorize conditional Venezuelan oil resale to Cuba — OFAC

The favorable licensing policy is directed towards transactions that support the Cuban people, including the Cuban private sector, OFAC said

Russian diplomat sees UK, France flirting with Kiev over nukes

Maria Zakharova noted that, over the past week, the media had downplayed the news by diverting global attention

IN BRIEF: Putin speaks at Future Technologies Forum

Russia is proud that its scientists made a "sound contribution" to biosciences, the Russian leader said

Serbian interior minister hospitalized in grave condition — TV

According to the TV channel, Ivica Dacic has been placed on life support

Russian diplomat calls incident in Cuban waters 'aggressive US provocation'

As Maria Zakharova stressed, the move is aimed at escalating the situation and triggering conflict

Tehran ready for both peaceful and military scenarios — Iran’s top diplomat Araghchi

Abbas Araghchi said that his country is capable of effectively defending itself

North Korea ready for normalization with US, but it depends on Washington — Kim

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed that the future of relations between North Korea and the United States fully depends on the United States’ approaches

West punishes Iran, Cuba, Venezuela for independent policies — Russian diplomat

Kirill Logvinov noted that modern colonial practices regrettably became more entrenched in the toolkit of Western countries

Indian Navy concludes Milan 2026 exercise with Russian Navy frigate participation

The closing ceremony and summing up the exercise results took place aboard the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

Ukrainian army trying to divert attention from failures to Odessa defenses — expert

Retired Colonel Timur Syrtlanov noted that all cities located in the combat area were always preparing for defense

Zelensky, Trump discuss upcoming meeting between US, Ukrainian delegations in Geneva

According to Vladimir Zelensky, US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner also joined the call

United States making progress with both Russia, Ukraine — Vance

The US vice president also noted that the US administration is continuing diplomatic efforts to bring the negotiations to a point at which both Russia and Ukraine will consider their objectives sufficiently achieved and bring the conflict to an end

Russia creates global level solutions for digital platforms — Putin

Russia is proud that its scientists made "a sound contribution" to bioscience, the head of state added

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

Ukrainian military use toxic agents against Russian army, civilians — Russian diplomat

Russia regularly shares relevant data with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the UN Security Council and General Assembly, director of the Russian foreign ministry’s international organizations department Kirill Logvinov said

Sixty-one foreign air carriers flying to Russia — Transport Minister

Plans for 2026 are to continue working on the upgrade of airport infrastructure and commission passenger terminals in Barnaul, Blagoveshchensk and Orenburg in particular, Andrey Nikitin added

Two Russians in St. Petersburg planned terrorist attack against senior military official

According to the Russian Federal Service, the suspects have been detained and have confessed to their involvement

Plans by Paris, London to give Kiev nuclear arms show they lost touch with reality — envoy

They are mistaken in hoping to avoid responsibility, Gennady Gatilov said

US ultimatum to Kiev could end conflict in one day — British politician

"Until Trump does that, the war will continue," Leader of the Workers Party of Britain George Galloway said

Russia considering proposal to help Cuba with fuel — Novak

"The intergovernmental commission for development of trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Cuba is dealing with that," the deputy prime minister said

Top Iranian diplomat outlines provisions of potential deal with US to Omani counterpart

Abbas Araghchi is leading the Iranian delegation to the third round of Oman-mediated talks with the United States

China, Germany support UN and development of green technologies

Beijing and Berlin confirmed that they will encourage the expansion of interpersonal contacts and boost culture and sports cooperation

US committed to Ukraine settlement efforts, but Trump’s patience is not infinite — Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also emphasized that Donald Trump’s patience is not infinite

Ukrainian army preparing Odessa region for all-round defense

Denis Nosikov, head of the regional department of the South territorial defense forces, noted that various fortifications are being constructed around the region

Merz says he asked China to use its influence to end conflict in Ukraine

The German chancellor said that signals from China are taken very seriously in Moscow

Kiev blocking Druzhba pipeline on Brussels’ orders to remove Hungary’s PM

Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov opined that "it was not Kiev’s own decision"

Russian PM outlines key goals for government in 2026

"The first and the key task is to preserve and increase our people," Mikhail Mishustin said

Russia to start production of Tu-214 airplane — PM

The certification of the medium-range airliner Tu-214 was completed in December 2025

Vietnamese PM wants to boost economic ties with Russia

Pham Minh Chinh said that Vietnam-Russia relations have entered a new era of development

Iran against building nuclear weapon, Pezeshkian reiterates ahead of Geneva talks with US

"The enemies insist that Iran should not seek a nuclear weapon, but we have repeatedly stated that we are not seeking a nuclear weapon," the Iranian president pointed out

Venezuela need to hold election to achieve its potential — Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that to have elections Venezuela needs to have political parties, political movements and a media environment that allows people to campaign and get the word out

UK, France readying to arm Ukraine with nuclear bomb — Foreign Intelligence Service

According to the SVR, the British and the French realize that their plot is "a gross violation of the international law, first of all the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and carries the risk of destroying the global non-proliferation system"

Amur Shipyard secured state defense contracts until 2028 — governor

The shipyard holds the necessary licenses to perform a full range of work for the construction, repair, and disposal of warships, submarines, and vessels with any type of propulsion system

Armenian PM says no plans to remove Russian military base from his country

Nikol Pashinyan said the relations between Armenia and Russia are currently at the transformation stage

Russia remains committed to its stance on need for establishing Palestinian state

According to the director of the Russian foreign ministry’s international organizations department Kirill Logvinov, Moscow stands for a real ceasefire and all-round humanitarian assistance,

Ukraine’s military unhappy with ineffective UAVs supplied by Western countries — media

The Ukrainian officer admitted that Ukraine’s allies were unaware of how quickly the situation changes during the conflict

Russia has questions to Board of Peace’s Charter, mandate — diplomat

Director of the Russian foreign ministry’s international organizations department Kirill Logvinov recalled that the inaugural meeting of the US President Donald Trump-led Board of Peace was held in Davos on January 22

Up to 400 Iranian soldiers killed during January unrest — president

Masoud Pezeshkian added that more than 2,000 were innocent civilians

Russian UAV crews cut off power to Ukrainian facilities on Dnieper’s right bank

Despite difficult weather conditions and the enemy’s electronic warfare systems, Russian military personnel successfully completed their mission

Those who blew up Nord Streams now blocking Druzhba pipeline — top Hungarian diplomat

Peter Szijjarto called it a disgrace that the EU has not yet completed its investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which, he recalled, constitutes an act of state terrorism

Russian troops liberate Grafskoye community in Kharkov Region over past day — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,345 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

US Coast Guard refrains from comments on incident in Cuban waters

Earlier, the Cuban interior ministry said that a US-flagged boat entered Cuban waters and opened fire at approaching Cuban military

Tisza may become first "trash river" in Europe — environmentalist

"Rivers are used to deliver waste to the ocean instead of dump trucks in certain poor Asian countries," head of Green Patrol organization’s environmental projects Roman Pukalov said

Russia has ability to destroy nuclear weapon delivery to Ukraine en route — lawmaker

Viktor Vodolatsky said that Russia will protect its territory from the use of a nuclear weapon

Sanctions, support of population, tasks for 2026: Mishustin’s report to State Duma

The premier mentioned six tasks facing the state in 2026

Iranian foreign minister arrives in Geneva to participate in talks with US

The Foreign Ministry also said the Iranian delegation plans to meet with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi this evening to outline Tehran's position "on sanctions and the nuclear program"

Consequences of using nuclear bomb, Russian developments: Putin's statements

The Russian president said that Russia has promising defense and civilian developments, and some of them have not yet been publicly presented

US insists on trilateral arms control agreements involving Russia, China — Rubio

US Secretary of State stressed that there will be no agreement if Beijing refuses to work toward it

Iran says to be more careful in talks with US, taking into account past experience

On February 26, Geneva will host the third round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States to resolve the situation around the republic's nuclear program

Vietnam-Russia ties model of healthy international relations — Vietnamese PM

Pham Minh Chinh said that Vietnam "consistently attaches great importance and strives for a steady development of traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with the Russian Federation in all areas"

US-registered boat enters Cuban waters, opens fire — Cuban interior ministry

As a result of the clash, four Americans were killed and six were wounded

Iran calls Trump’s comment about Tehran's nuclear ambitions 'empty chatter'

Esmaeil Kousari, General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that before the February 26 negotiations on the nuclear dossier in Geneva Iran must maintain a high degree of readiness and "constantly monitor the actions of the enemy"

West wants to escalate Ukraine conflict to global level — Russian delegation in Vienna

Those who are obstructing peace in Ukraine and sponsoring the war there cannot expect a place at the negotiating table to end it, Yulia Zhdanova added

Larry Summers to resign from Harvard over Epstein ties — CNN

Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said Summers has also resigned from his role as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government