Ukraine’s former energy minister detained as suspect in money laundering probe
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16/02/2026 - 18:52
Ukraine made fastest battlefield gain in 2.5 years last week, new data shows
Ukraine recaptured 201 square kilometres (78 square miles) from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday last week, leveraging a Starlink shutdown for Russian forces, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The recaptured area is almost equivalent to the Russian gains for the entire month of December and is the most land retaken by Kyiv's forces in such a short period since a counter-offensive that began in June 2023.
"These Ukrainian counterattacks are likely leveraging the recent block on Russian forces' access to Starlink, which Russian milbloggers (military bloggers) have claimed is causing communications and command and control issues on the battlefield," the ISW, which collaborates with the Critical Threats Project, another US think-tank, stated.
16/02/2026 - 17:59
Ukraine ex-energy minister named suspect in laundering investigation
Ukraine's former energy minister German Galushchenko has been formally named as a suspect in a high-profile money laundering probe, investigators said Monday. The announcement comes one day after Galushchenko was detained by law enforcement attempting to leave Ukraine, and is the latest development in a corruption scandal in the energy sector that rocked the government last year. FRANCE 24's Emmanuelle Chaze reports from Kharkiv.
16/02/2026 - 16:45
France grants safe haven to anti-Kremlin couple detained by ICE
France has granted safe haven to an anti-Kremlin Russian activist couple detained by ICE in the United States, but one of the couple's where abouts are unknown.
After France issued the couple humanitarian visas to avoid them being deported to Russia, Alexei Ishimov, 31, arrived in Paris from Seattle on Monday morning.
His 29-year-old wife Nadezhda, a former volunteer for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was expected to arrive on a separate flight from Miami, also on Monday morning, but she did not show up at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as planned.
"I am in shock," a visibly distressed Alexei, who had not seen his wife for more than 20 months, said at the airport.
The couple were both swept up in US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, and had been held by the country's ICE agency
16/02/2026 - 16:44
Russia using Africans as 'cannon fodder' in Ukraine, investigation finds
16/02/2026 - 16:12
Hungary asks Croatia for help after Russian oil flows via Ukraine halted
Hungary and Slovakia have asked Croatia to help to deliver Russian oil, Hungary's foreign minister said, after disruption to flows via Ukraine and conflicting accusations of blame.
A Russian attack on the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine on January 27 knocked out flows to Eastern Europe, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
16/02/2026 - 15:24
Hungary backs US peace efforts in Ukraine, PM Orban says
Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban said that he assured US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that his country still backs US peace efforts in Ukraine and that Budapest was still open to hosting a peace summit.
16/02/2026 - 14:50
Kremlin says 'main issues' will be discussed in Geneva talks on Ukraine this week, including territory
The Kremlin said that what it called "the main issues" would be discussed in peace talks on Ukraine due to be held in Geneva this week, including territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and special envoy Kirill Dmitriev would take part in the talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
16/02/2026 - 14:43
Russia says it downed 345 Ukrainian drones in 24 hours, took two villages
Russia's defence ministry said on Monday that it had downed 345 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours and taken control of two settlements, state media reported.
The state RIA news agency said Russian forces had taken control of the settlements of Pokrovka and Minkivka in eastern Ukraine.
16/02/2026 - 14:37
Ukraine ex-energy minister named suspect in laundering probe
Ukraine's former energy minister German Galushchenko has been formally named as a suspect in a high-profile money laundering probe, investigators said.
The announcement comes one day after Galushchenko was detained by law enforcement attempting to leave Ukraine, and is the latest development in a corruption scandal in the energy sector that rocked the government last year.
"The former Energy Minister (2021-2025) has been exposed for money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation," the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said in a statement.
The statement did not name Galushchenko, but he served as the country's energy minister between 2021 and 2025.
Galushchenko was accused in November of taking part in a $100-million kickback scheme from contractors building fortifications to defend energy infrastructure against Russian attacks.
Investigators now allege they found approximately $12 million in bank accounts linked to Galushchenko's family.
16/02/2026 - 14:35
Fire after drone attack at Russia's port of Taman put out, authorities say
Local authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said that a fire at the Black Sea port of Taman, which handles oil products, grain, coal and commodities, had been extinguished.
The port was damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday.
16/02/2026 - 14:29
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 live blog covering the war in Ukraine.
Key developments from yesterday:
- Ukraine's army said it hit a key oil terminal in southern Russia near Moscow-annexed Crimea in its latest cross-border attack. Russian officials said Ukrainian drones had caused fires in the Krasnodar region and that dozens of drones had been shot down.
- Ukraine's NABU anti-corruption force says it arrested the country's former energy minister German Galushchenko – who resigned last year during a massive corruption scandal – as he tried to cross Ukraine's border.
- Russia's army chief Valery Gerasimov has visited Moscow's troops in Ukraine and said the Kremlin's forces seized a dozen eastern villages in February, the defence ministry said.
(With AFP, AP and Reuters)