Ukraine war latest -- by the Kyiv Independent news desk
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine destroys half of Russia's 'key' Pantsir air defense systems, security service says
February 15, 2026 9:19 pm; original article contains an illustration• 13 min read
Key developments on Feb. 14-15:
- Ukraine destroys half of Russia's 'key' Pantsir air defense systems, security service says
- Ukraine hits Russia's BK-16 landing craft in Crimea and other targets in Russian-occupied territories, military says
- Zelensky, Rubio discuss air defense for Ukraine, possibility of leader-level peace talks
- Territorial concessions by Ukraine won't bring peace, Zelensky says in Munich
- Ukraine сonfirms strike on oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, hits air defense system in Crimea
- Over 177,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation
The Alpha unit of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) destroyed half of Russia's stockpile of the coveted Pantsir air defense system, the SBU announced Feb. 14.
"The 'Pantsir' is one of Russia's modern and key air defense systems. The cost of a single system ranges from $15 to $20 million. These anti-aircraft missile systems are the most effective in countering Ukrainian long-range drones," the announcement read.
The "systemic destruction" of the air defense system has the "strategic goal" of making Russia vulnerable to long-range strikes as Moscow continues to wage its war, the SBU said.
A diminished arsenal allows the Armed Forces to effectively strike Russian "military bases, warehouses, airfields, and other occupied facilities."
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and its own occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power.
The SBU claimed on Jan. 19 that its long-range strikes during the year of 2025 either "destroyed or disabled" Russian air defense systems worth a total of approximately $4 billion.
On Feb. 12, Ukraine struck a Russian 55Zh6U "Nebo-U" long-range radar station, estimated to be worth approximately $100 million, near Yevpatoriia in occupied Crimea, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces later reported on Feb. 13.
Meanwhile, the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) on Feb. 12 struck an airfield in the village of Hvardiiske in Crimea, the Kirova electrical substation in Luhansk, and a data center in Prymorsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Ukrainian long-range cruise "Flamingo" missiles struck a major Russian arsenal storing missiles, ammunition, and explosives in Kotluban, Volgograd Oblast, overnight, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Feb. 12.
The facility belongs to Russia's Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) and is described as one of the largest ammunition storage sites used by the Russian army. Powerful explosions and secondary detonations were recorded at the site.
In addition to the strike on the arsenal, Ukrainian forces on Feb. 12 hit the Progress Plant in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast. The enterprise produces high-tech equipment for aviation and missile systems and is involved in supporting Russia’s military.
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Ukraine hits Russia's BK-16 landing craft in Crimea and other targets in Russian-occupied territories, military says
Ukrainian forces successfully attacked a Russian BK-16 landing craft and other targets in Russian-occupied territories, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Feb. 14.
The General Staff reported that Russia's BK-16 landing vessel, a high-speed landing craft for coastal operations and troop transport, was "successfully hit" on Feb. 12 in the Novoozerne area, Russian-occupied Crimea.
Some other military targets were also hit on Feb. 12, such as the RSP-10 radar station in Crimea and Russia's communications node in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the General Staff said.
Additionally, on Feb. 13, Ukraine hit a Russian ammunition depot near the village of Novoeokonomichne in occupied Donetsk Oblast.
"The Ukrainian defense forces will continue to systematically carry out measures aimed at weakening the combat potential of the Russian aggressor," the General Staff said.
Crimea has been under Russian occupation since its illegal annexation in 2014.
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on military infrastructure on the peninsula and other newly occupied territories since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
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Zelensky, Rubio discuss air defense for Ukraine, possibility of leader-level peace talks
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Presidential Office Spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov told the media.
The discussion focused on the situation on the battlefield, Russian attacks, and the damage caused to Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Part of the discussion included ways to support Ukraine with additional air defense missiles during the winter, according to the Presidential Office.
Rubio and Zelensky also discussed the next round of trilateral peace talks among the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia, set to take place in Geneva on Feb. 17–18.
"It's important that the planned negotiations in Geneva be productive, and I thank the United States for its constructive approach," Zelensky said after the meeting. "We also touched on the sequence of steps. It's important to make progress on issues of security guarantees and economic recovery."
The peace negotiations will eventually require a top-level meeting with the leaders of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, the Presidential Office said in a statement published after the talks.
"Ukraine believes that a meeting at the leadership level should ultimately be held to resolve the most problematic issues," the statement said.
Zelensky met with Rubio following his conference speech earlier in the day. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov joined him in the talks.
Following the meeting, Zelensky also held a phone call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys representing Washington in the ongoing negotiations. They discussed the upcoming talks, the recent rounds of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, and the meeting with Rubio.
"Not everything can be disclosed over the phone, and our negotiating team will present Ukraine's position next week," Zelensky said after the call on Feb. 14. He thanked the U.S. team for their "constructive attitude."
Both Zelensky and Rubio addressed the conference in separate speeches on Feb. 14. Zelensky stressed Ukraine's commitment to the ongoing peace negotiations among Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington, but said territorial concessions to Russia would not lead to peace.
Rubio also acknowledged that the question of control over Ukraine's eastern Donbas region has not been resolved in the current negotiations.
In a briefing after his speech, Zelensky told journalists that the U.S. had offered Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee, but that Kyiv was looking for a longer-term pledge.
"Today we have a proposal from the American side for 15 years," he said at a briefing. We want to have 20 years plus. Thirty, 50 ... We'll see what the administration and Congress will do."
The day before Zelensky's meeting with Rubio, Trump said that Zelensky needs to "get moving" to secure a peace deal with Russia.
"Russia wants to make a deal and Zelensky is going to have to get moving, otherwise he's going to miss a great opportunity," Trump claimed. "He has to move."
When asked about Trump's comments, Zelensky acknowledged on Feb. 14 that the U.S. president may be "preparing (the) atmosphere" ahead of the upcoming peace talks in Switzerland.
"Not losing our dignity, we can move," Zelensky said.
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