Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK and its allies exposed a “barbaric Kremlin plot” to poison opposition leader Alexei Navalny as she suggested new sanctions against Moscow could follow.
The Foreign Office and four of the UK’s allies made the announcement at the Munich Security Conference, blaming the Kremlin for poisoning Navalny.
Ms Cooper told Sky News: “They wanted to silence him because he was a critic of their regime and that is why we have exposed this barbaric Kremlin plot to do so and made sure that we have done so with evidence as well.”
The Russian embassy in London has denied Moscow was involved in Mr Navalny’s death and described the announcement as “feeble-mindedness of Western fabulists”.
On Saturday, drone strikes killed one person in Ukraine and another in Russia, Ukrainian officials said, ahead of fresh talks next week in Geneva aimed at ending the war.
An elderly woman died when a Russian drone hit a residential building in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.
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Navalny died after being poisoned with dart frog toxin by Russia, UK says
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Key Points
- Odesa hit with further drone strikes
- 'Barbaric Kremlin plot' exposed, Cooper says
- Zelensky says US too often asks Ukraine, not Russia, for concessions
- Denmark PM: Pressure from the US on Greenland is 'totally unacceptable'
- Navalny died ‘after being poisoned with dart frog toxin by Kremlin’
Ukrainian authorities detain ex-minister in major case
13:35 , Dan HaygarthUkrainian anti-corruption detectives have detained a former energy minister as part of a wide-ranging probe that sparked a political crisis last November, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said on Sunday.
The so-called "Midas" case centres on an alleged $100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic agency that ensnared a number of senior officials and business elites, including a former associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky's.
"Today NABU detectives detained a former minister of energy while crossing the state border, within the framework of the 'Midas' case," NABU said in its statement.
"Priority investigative actions are ongoing, which are being carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law."
The agency said more details would come but it did not name the individual.
Ukraine's previous two energy ministers had resigned amid the fallout from the scandal, which also claimed the job of Zelensky's chief of staff.
The two ministers and the chief of staff have all denied wrongdoing.
Recap: US won’t be ‘caretakers’ of West’s ‘managed decline’, Rubio warns
13:15 , Dan Haygarth'Woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilisational erasure', Kallas says
13:00 , Dan HaygarthA top European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces "civilisational erasure," pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the Munich Security Conference a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a somewhat reassuring message to European allies.
He struck a less aggressive tone than Vice President JD Vance did in lecturing them at the same gathering last year but maintained a firm tone on Washington's intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its policy priorities.
Ms Kallas alluded to criticism in the U.S. national security strategy released in December, which asserted that economic stagnation in Europe "is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilisational erasure."
It suggested that Europe is being enfeebled by its immigration policies, declining birth rates, "censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition" and a "loss of national identities and self-confidence."
"Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilisational erasure," Ms Kallas told the conference.
"In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans," she added, saying she was told when visiting Canada last year that many people there have an interest in joining the EU.
The life of Alexei Navalny and his opposition to Vladimir Putin
12:45 , Dan HaygarthNavalny, a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, died while serving a 19-year jail term in a penal colony around 40 miles of the Arctic Circle in charges widely thought to be politically motivated.
He died in February 2024 after going for a walk at the jail and losing consciousness.
The political agitator has been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption, organized major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office.
Read more: Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Alexei Navalny and his opposition to Vladimir Putin
Latest attacks come before another round of talks
12:30 , Dan HaygarthA Ukrainian drone strike ignited fires at one of Russia's Black Sea ports, officials said on Sunday, ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old war.
Two people were injured in the attack on the port of Taman in the Krasnodar region, which damaged an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
Meanwhile, falling debris from Russian drones damaged civilian and transport infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region, officials said, causing disruption to the power and water supply.
The latest attacks came ahead of another round of US-brokered talks between envoys from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, just before the fourth anniversary of the all-out Russian invasion of its neighbour on February 22.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested there are still questions remaining over future security guarantees for his country.
He also questioned how the concept of a free trade zone - proposed by the US - would work in the Donbas region, which Russia insists Kyiv must give up for peace.
Recap: Cooper says new sanctions against the Russian regime could follow
12:17 , Dan HaygarthNew sanctions against the Russian regime could follow from Britain and its allies blaming the Kremlin for poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Foreign Secretary has suggested.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme what the consequences of the accusation would be, Yvette Cooper said: “We continue to look at co-ordinated action, including increasing sanctions on the Russian regime.
“As you know, we have been pursuing this as part of our response to the brutal invasion of Ukraine, where we are also coming up to the fourth anniversary of that invasion as well.
“We believe that it is the partnerships that we build abroad that make us stronger at home. It is by acting alongside our European allies, alongside allies across the world, that we do maintain that pressure on the Russian regime.”
She added: “The other thing that I would say specifically about Alexei Navalny is one of the things he said was ‘tell the truth, spread the truth’, because that is the most dangerous weapon of all.
“That was his comment about the Russian regime. He is no longer able to do that, but that is why we are continuing to do that for him, and for his widow as well.”
WATCH: Inside the vast underground bunkers ready to protect Helsinki from Putin
11:44 , Dan HaygarthSome sanctions on Russia are being 'busted and circumvented', Patel says
11:19 , Dan HaygarthShadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said some sanctions on Russia are being “busted and circumvented”.
The Witham MP told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We need to do much more, I think, when it comes to action against Russia.
“Sanctions are actually being busted and circumvented by some of the Russian state-sponsored individuals; we know that when it comes to the war in Ukraine.
“We’ve actually got to start cutting off their financial funds that are fuelling the war in Ukraine.
“We really need to take direct action against some of the individuals in the UK. The ambassador, again, needs to be called in.
“We need to see the Government really step up in terms of its own actions when it comes to Russia.”
Dame Priti added: “There are oil refineries around the world white-labelling Russian oil. We’ve got to target those businesses and go after them.
“Those refineries are in China, they are in Turkey and they are in India. Those businesses and refineries that are taking Russian oil, white-labelling them and re-exporting them around the world, they need to be shut down.”
Truth is the most ‘dangerous weapon’ against Russia, UK says as it hits back at denial over Navalny’s death
11:07 , Dan HaygarthYvette Cooper has said truth is the most “dangerous weapon” against Russia as she hit back at Moscow’s denials that it was involved in the death of Putin’s arch-rival Alexei Navalny.
Britain and its European allies said on Saturday that the opposition leader had died after being poisoned with a lethal toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America.
After the findings were announced by Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya, the foreign secretary pinned the blame squarely on the Kremlin and said only Russia had the “means, motive and opportunity” to carry out such an attack.
Hillary Clinton calls Trump's position on Ukraine 'disgraceful'
10:56 , Dan HaygarthInside the vast underground bunkers ready to protect Helsinki from Putin
10:45 , Dan HaygarthCarved into the bedrock deep below Helsinki is a series of underground bunkers where the entire city’s population can shelter in the case of an attack.
Annabel Grossman explores this vast network and learns how Finns plans to protect their citizens in the face of a hostile neighbour to the east.
Read the article: Inside the vast underground bunkers ready to protect Helsinki from Putin
'Barbaric Kremlin plot' exposed, Cooper says
10:25 , Dan HaygarthAbout the UK and its Allies blaming the Kremlin for poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Yvette Cooper told Sky News this morning: “Only the Russian regime had the motive, the means and the opportunity to administer this lethal poison while he was in prison in Russia.
“They wanted to silence him because he was a critic of their regime and that is why we have exposed this barbaric Kremlin plot to do so and made sure that we have done so with evidence as well.
“The reason as well that we have done this is was one of the things that Alexei Navalny himself said that. He said ‘tell the truth, spread the truth, that is the most dangerous weapon of all’.
“The Russian regime tried to stop him doing so, so we have done so instead.”
Rubio to begin two day trip today
10:20 , Dan HaygarthUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to begin a two-day trip on Sunday, to bolster ties with Slovakia and Hungary.
Rubio will use the trip to discuss energy cooperation and bilateral issues, including NATO commitments, the State Department said in an announcement last week.
"These are countries that are very strong with us, very cooperative with the United States, work very closely with us, and it's a good opportunity to go see them and two countries I've never been in," Rubio told reporters before departing for Europe on Thursday.
Rubio, who in his dual role also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, will meet in Bratislava on Sunday with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who visited Trump in Florida last month. The U.S. diplomat's trip follows his participation in the Munich Security Conference over the last few days.
EU countries 'not ready to give Ukraine a concrete date for membership', says Kallis
10:10 , Dan HaygarthThe European Union's foreign policy chief said on Sunday that she did not feel that countries within the bloc were ready to give Ukraine a concrete date for membership.
"My feeling is that the member states are not ready to give a concrete date," Kaja Kallas told a panel at the Munich Security Conference.
"There's a lot of work to be done and then (the) priority and the urgent need is to move, and show that Ukraine is part of Europe."
'Russia is a threat to our country', Patel says
09:55 , Dan HaygarthShadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said the UK faces an “axis of authoritarianism”.
The Witham MP told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programmed that the United States was a “natural ally” and a “partner”.
Dame Priti added: “We face major challenges on the axis of authoritarianism – that is Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
“We can see that self-evidently in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. That’s a threat to our country.
“Russia is a threat to our country. We know that, we’ve experienced this over the last decade with state sponsored poisonings.”
Russia takes village in Zaporizhzhia region
09:54 , Dan HaygarthRussia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its troops have taken the village of Tsvitkove in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, state news agency TASS reported.
Russia controls about 75 per cent of the Zaporizhzhia region, but battle lines had been largely static since 2022 until recent Russian advances
New sanctions for Russia could follow Britain blaming Kremlin for poisoning Navalny
09:47 , Dan HaygarthNew sanctions against the Russian regime could follow from Britain and its allies blaming the Kremlin for poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Foreign Secretary has suggested.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme what the consequences of the accusation would be, Yvette Cooper said: “We continue to look at co-ordinated action, including increasing sanctions on the Russian regime.
“As you know, we have been pursuing this as part of our response to the brutal invasion of Ukraine, where we are also coming up to the fourth anniversary of that invasion as well.
“We believe that it is the partnerships that we build abroad that make us stronger at home. It is by acting alongside our European allies, alongside allies across the world, that we do maintain that pressure on the Russian regime.”
She added: “The other thing that I would say specifically about Alexei Navalny is one of the things he said was ‘tell the truth, spread the truth’, because that is the most dangerous weapon of all.
“That was his comment about the Russian regime. He is no longer able to do that, but that is why we are continuing to do that for him, and for his widow as well.”
'European bashing is very in fashion', Kallis says
09:31 , Dan HaygarthKaja Kallis, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has responded to Marco Rubio’s speech yesterday.
At the Munich Security Conference, Rubio suggested that the West’s victory in the Cold War had fostered complacency in Europe and said the US needed the continent to be strong.
Kallis said on stage today: “Every time I hear this European bashing, it’s very in fashion right now, I’m thinking of what is the alternative.
“I mean, all the best or good things that we got from Europe, and all the good things that Europe actually represents.”
However she welcomed Rubio’s comments that the US and Europe “will always be intertwined”.
He said on Saturday that Donald Trump “demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe” because “we care deeply about your future and ours”.
Kallis said: “The message that we heard from there is that America and Europe are intertwined; have been in the past and will be in the future.
“I think this is important. It is also clear that we don’t see eye to eye in all the issues and that this will remain the case as well, but I think we can work from there.”
Poison Russia used to kill Navalny can be produced synthetically, says Cooper
09:30 , Dan HaygarthUkraine seeks 20-year US security guarantee before signing peace deal
09:15 , Stuti MishraVolodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine wants a legally binding US security guarantee lasting at least 20 years before signing any peace deal with Russia.
Speaking in Munich ahead of fresh talks next week, the Ukrainian president said Washington had so far offered a 15-year commitment, but Kyiv was seeking a minimum 20-year agreement setting out the specific help the US would provide to a planned European reassurance force inside Ukraine.
“We want a minimum 20-year, legally water-tight agreement,” Zelensky said, warning that any deal must include clear and enforceable guarantees.
He added that US officials had suggested peace could come more quickly if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas region, but said such a concession was not possible because Ukrainians live there.
Zelensky also called for a clear date for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, saying membership would provide additional long-term stability.
The comments come ahead of US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia expected in Geneva next week, where territorial concessions and security arrangements are likely to dominate discussions.
Cooper says Cold War peace dividend ‘has gone’ after Navalny announcement
09:15 , Dan HaygarthWhitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The foreign secretary told the BBC: “The Cold War peace dividend we had all believed in and hoped for has gone.”
She said the Russian threat to European and UK security “is back”.
Her comments came after the UK accused Russia of killing opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a poison developed from a dart frog toxin.
Cooper: 'We do know that the Russian regime has had possession of this particular chemical'
09:13 , Dan HaygarthYvette Cooper told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips that the lethal toxin Epibatidine which Britain and its allies said was used by Russia against opposition leader Alexei Navalny can be produced synthetically.
Epibatidine is produced by wild dart frogs in South America.
Ms Cooper would not be drawn on whether the toxin the UK says was used on Navalny was produced synthetically.
The foreign secretary told Sky News: “I can’t tell you the details of that, but as you say, this is a particular chemical.
“It can be produced synthetically, it can also be found in this particular frog in Ecuador.
“We do know that the Russian regime has had possession of this particular chemical. It is obviously not one which is found naturally in Russia.”
Cooper: UK 'strengthening defence in partnership with Europe'
09:01 , Dan HaygarthAsked by Sky News’ Trevor Phillips about transatlantic security ties and Sir Keir Starmer’s comments in Munich about the UK’s relationship with Europe, Yvette Cooper said the UK “had to do more”.
The foreign secretary said: “That transatlantic partnership remains very important but we have to do more ourselves as well.
“One of the things for example, the UK is doing with Norway is developing a new fleet of joint frigates that can strengthen our maritime security - that means recognising the threats from the Russian northern fleet that is to the north of Norway and through the arctic as well.
“We’re doing that direct with Norway and we’re going to need to go further - strengthening our defence in partnership with European countries because that is where some of the threats, particularly from Russia, are most felt.”
Odesa hit with further drone strikes
08:57 , Dan HaygarthOn Saturday, drone strikes killed one person in Ukraine and another in Russia, Ukrainian officials said, ahead of fresh talks next week in Geneva aimed at ending the war.
An elderly woman died when a Russian drone hit a residential building in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.
In Russia, a civilian was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a car in the border region of Bryansk, regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said.
Russia-installed authorities said a Ukrainian airstrike on a village Saturday wounded 15 people in Ukraine's partially occupied Luhansk region.
The attacks came a day after a Ukrainian missile strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed two people and wounded five, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.
On Sunday, Reuters also reported that firefighters were working to extinguish a huge fire at the site of a railway infrastructure facility hit during overnight Russian drone strikes in Odesa
Zelensky says it is “crucial” Geneva talks are productive
08:45 , Stuti MishraVolodymyr Zelensky has said it is “crucial” that upcoming talks in Geneva deliver results, as diplomatic efforts to end the war intensify.
In a post on X after meeting US secretary of state Marco Rubio, the Ukrainian president said: “It is crucial that the talks planned in Geneva be productive, and I thank the United States for their constructive approach.”
Zelensky said he briefed Rubio on the situation at the front, ongoing Russian strikes and the impact of attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. The two also discussed “how to help Ukraine protect lives during the winter cold and strengthen our resilience”.
He added that they had held a “detailed discussion about the diplomatic process and trilateral meetings”, including the sequencing of steps in negotiations. “It is important to make progress on the issues of security guarantees and economic recovery,” Zelensky said.
Fresh US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia are expected in Geneva next week.
During the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio @SecRubio, I briefed him on the situation at the front, Russian strikes, and the impact of attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. We discussed how to help Ukraine protect lives during the winter cold and strengthen our… pic.twitter.com/WMuAvJ5yiS
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 14, 2026
Yvette Cooper rejects Russian attack over Navalny
08:40 , Dan HaygarthForeign Secretary Yvette Cooper is facing questions from broadcasters after Britain blamed the Kremlin for killing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The Kremlin has rejected the claims.
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The foreign secretary told Sky: “We have worked with our European partners on pursuing the evidence and pursuing the truth, and that's why we have together found the evidence of this lethal toxin that was found in Alexei Navalny's body at the time he died.
“And only the Russian regime had the motive, the means and the opportunity to administer this lethal poison, while he was in prison in Russia.”
Rubio and Zelensky met in Munich
08:30 , Dan HaygarthMet with Ukrainian President @ZelenskyyUa on Ukraine's security and deepening defense and economic partnerships. President Trump wants a solution that ends the bloodshed once and for all. pic.twitter.com/DUAbiAMkhd
Video: Zelensky calls Putin 'slave to war' as he urges unity in Munich
08:15 , Stuti MishraRussia's Taman port damaged by Ukrainian drone strike
08:13 , Dan HaygarthRussia's Black Sea port of Taman, which handles oil products, grain, coal and commodities, has been damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region said on Sunday.
Two people were injured as an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals took damage in Volna village, the site of Taman port, governor Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.
Kondratyev said that more than 100 people were working to put out several fires at the port.
Separate strikes on the resort city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka, close to the seaside town of Anapa, had caused less significant damage, he added.
Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent days after a US-brokered moratorium on such strikes expired.
Russia has repeatedly targeted energy and utility infrastructure in Ukraine, cutting off heating and electricity to hundreds of thousands of people in the midst of an unusually cold winter.
US ‘squandered’ claim to world leadership, German chancellor says
07:45 , Stuti MishraGermany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has declared the international order is being destroyed, in a swipe at US president Donald Trump and his disruptive foreign policy.
Read more:
US has ‘squandered’ its claim to world leadership, German chancellor Merz suggests
Rubio begins European trip, to meet Hungary’s Orban amid ties with Moscow
07:15 , Stuti MishraUS secretary of state Marco Rubio has begun a two-day visit to central Europe, aimed at bolstering ties with Slovakia and Hungary, including a planned meeting with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.
Rubio’s trip comes after his participation in the Munich Security Conference, and the State Department says he will discuss energy cooperation, NATO commitments and bilateral relations. In Bratislava on Sunday he is due to meet Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, who visited Donald Trump in Florida last month.
Tomorrow, Rubio is expected to meet Orban, a close ally of Trump who is currently trailing in polls ahead of Hungary’s April election.
"These are countries that are very strong with us, very cooperative with the United States, work very closely with us, and it's a good opportunity to go see them and two countries I've never been in," Rubio told reporters before departing for Europe on Thursday.
Both Fico and Orban have frequently clashed with EU institutions over democratic standards and have maintained ties with Moscow. They have criticised or delayed EU sanctions on Russia and opposed sending military aid to Ukraine. Slovakia and Hungary have also continued to buy Russian gas and oil, even as other EU countries secure alternative supplies.
Rubio did not outline specific energy discussions but said cooperation with European partners was a priority. His visit highlights ongoing US efforts to keep EU allies aligned amid diverging approaches to Russia, defence spending and broader transatlantic relations.
Russian official says Ukrainian drones damaged Taman port
06:45 , Stuti MishraRussia’s Taman port was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of the Krasnodar region said on Sunday.
Veniamin Kondratyev said the strike sparked a fire at the port. He did not provide details on the extent of the damage.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Taman port lies in southern Russia near the Kerch Strait, a key route for shipping and energy exports.
Russia says Navalny poison claims are 'disinformation campaign' against Moscow
06:15 , Stuti MishraThe Kremlin has hit back at claims from the UK and other allies that opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed with dart frog poison while serving time in a Russian prison in 2024.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, told the TASS news agency that the allegations "are a disinformation campaign by the West".
"There will be results of the analyses, there will be formulas of the substances - there will be a commentary. Without this, all the talks and statements are an information campaign aimed at diverting attention from the pressing problems of the West," she said.
The Russian Embassy in the UK said: "This isn't a quest for justice, but a mockery of the dead. Even after the death of a Russian citizen, London and European capitals cannot give him peace, which speaks volumes about the instigators of this campaign."
Zelensky calls Putin 'slave to war' as he urges unity in Munich
05:45 , Stuti MishraVolodymyr Zelensky denounced Vladimir Putin as a “slave to war”, telling the Munich Security Conference that Russia’s leader saw himself as a tsar but was driven entirely by conflict.
“He may see himself as a tsar, but in reality he is a slave to war,” the Ukrainian president said, days before the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Zelensky said Russia’s attacks had damaged every power plant in Ukraine. “There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been damaged by Russian attacks. Not one,” he said. “But we still generate electricity."
Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately targeting energy infrastructure to leave civilians without heat and power during winter. Zelensky again urged partners to speed up deliveries of air defence systems.
He also warned against pressuring Ukraine into territorial concessions ahead of fresh US-brokered talks next week. Drawing a parallel with the 1938 Munich Agreement, he said it would be “an illusion to believe that this war can now be reliably ended by dividing Ukraine”.
“With Russia, you cannot leave a single loophole Russians can use to start a war,” he said, insisting that any settlement must include firm security guarantees.
Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Alexei Navalny and his opposition to Vladimir Putin
05:30 , Stuti Mishra Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
Drone strikes kill civilians in Ukraine and Russia ahead of Geneva talks
05:00 , Stuti MishraDrone strikes killed at least one person in Ukraine and one in Russia yesterday, officials said, as the two sides prepared for another round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday aimed at ending the war.
An elderly woman died after a Russian drone struck a residential building in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, Ukraine’s state emergency service said.
In Russia, a civilian was killed when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the Bryansk border region, governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
Russia-backed authorities in the partially occupied Luhansk region said a Ukrainian airstrike wounded 15 people in a village there.
The exchanges followed a Ukrainian missile strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod on Friday that killed two people and injured five, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Zelensky warns of 'big risks' in proposed security zone
04:30 , Stuti MishraVolodymyr Zelensky has questioned how proposals for a free economic or security zone in Ukraine would work in practice, warning of serious risks if Russia were to test any foreign presence on the ground.
The Ukrainian president told the Associated Press in Munich that if foreign troops were deployed to patrol such a zone and Vladimir Putin chose to provoke them, their withdrawal could open the door to a “big occupation” and heavy losses.
“If Putin is given any opportunity for victory we don’t know what he will do next,” Zelensky said.
He described the model as carrying “big risks” both for Ukraine and for any country that agreed to guarantee its security, though he said he was prepared to discuss it as a potential compromise in exchange for support to rebuild the country.
Zelensky also said Moscow would have to accept monitoring of any ceasefire and return about 7,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war in exchange for more than 4,000 Russian prisoners held by Ukraine.
Zelensky says Russia’s negotiator swap could delay Geneva talks
04:00 , Stuti MishraRussia’s decision to replace the head of its negotiating team ahead of the next round of US-brokered talks could be aimed at delaying progress, Volodymyr Zelensky said..
The Ukrainian president said he was surprised by Moscow’s move before the upcoming negotiations in Geneva.
He also said Russian opposition to any foreign troop presence in Ukraine indicated Vladimir Putin wanted to retain the option of attacking again in future.
During negotiations, Russian officials have insisted that Ukraine give up more territory in the east to end the war. Zelensky rejected that demand, calling it “a little bit crazy” to suggest Ukraine withdraw from its own land or exchange it.
Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed defending the Donbas region, he said, noting that around 200,000 people still live there and it would not be acceptable to effectively hand them over to Russia.
What is dart frog toxin, the poison linked to Alexei Navalny’s death?
03:30 , Bryony Gooch What is dart frog toxin, the poison linked to Alexei Navalny’s death?
The life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
03:00 , Bryony Gooch Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
Recap: Russia suffering 'crazy losses' in Ukraine says Nato boss
02:00 , Bryony GoochRussia is suffering "crazy losses" in Ukraine, tallying around 65,000 soldiers over the last two months, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.
Separately, he told a media roundtable that the NATO alliance was strong enough that Russia would not currently try to attack it.
"We will win every fight with Russia if they attack us now, and we have to make sure in two, four, six years that same is still the case," he said.
Watch: Navalny died after being poisoned with dart frog toxin by Russia, UK says
01:00 , Bryony GoochRubio meets with Zelensky to discuss country's security and defence
00:00 , Bryony GoochUS secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the country’s security and ways to deepen defence and economic partnerships.
Zelensky surprised Moscow replaced head of negotiating team
Saturday 14 February 2026 23:00 , Bryony GoochUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was surprised that Moscow had replaced the head of its negotiating team before another round of US-brokered talks and suggested the move was deliberately aimed at delaying negotiations.
The talks take place against a backdrop of continued fighting along the roughly 1,250-km (750-mile) front line, relentless Russian bombardment of civilian areas of Ukraine and the country's power grid, and Kyiv's almost daily long-range drone attacks on war-related assets on Russian soil.
During negotiations, Russian officials have insisted Ukraine give up more territory in the east of the country to end the war. But Mr Zelensky told The Associated Press that it was "a little bit crazy" to suggest Ukraine withdraw from its own territory or exchange it.
Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed defending the country's Donbas region, he said, pointing out that 200,000 people also live there and it would not be acceptable to effectively hand them over to Russia.
Mr Zelensky also questioned how the concept of a free economic zone would work.
Imagine, he said, if foreign soldiers patrolled the zone and "Putin provoked them and they left". In that case, he said, there could be a "big occupation" of Ukraine and a lot of losses.
If Mr Putin is given any opportunity for victory "we don't know what he will do next", Mr Zelensky said.
The Independent View: Keir Starmer is right to embrace our European future
Saturday 14 February 2026 22:00 , Bryony Gooch Keir Starmer is right to embrace our European future
Zelensky thanks international allies for support at conference
Saturday 14 February 2026 21:40 , Bryony GoochUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his international allies for their support but suggested there was still questions remaining over the future security guarantees for his country.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Mr Zelensky repeatedly thanked American and European allies for helping Ukraine by providing air defence systems that protect infrastructure such as power plants and "save lives".
Previous US-led efforts to find consensus on ending the war, most recently two rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, have failed to resolve difficult issues, such as the future of Ukraine's Donbas industrial heartland that is largely occupied by Russian forces.
Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, UK and allies say
Saturday 14 February 2026 21:20 , Bryony Gooch Navalny died after being poisoned with dart frog toxin by Russia, UK says