Ukraine hit Russian planes and ships in Crimea and other occupied territory

Ukraine’s military said it carried out a series of strikes on Russian naval, air, and artillery assets in occupied Crimea and parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. In Crimea, near Sevastopol, Ukrainian forces targeted two Russian Project 22460 patrol ships — part of the Rubin-class Coast Guard fleet—designed to counter surface and aerial threats. The General Staff did not specify what weapons were used in the latest strike, though Ukraine has previously attacked similar vessels with sea drones.

Further north on the peninsula, Ukrainian forces hit two Be-12 Chayka amphibious aircraft stationed at the Yevpatoria Aviation Repair Plant. The Soviet-designed Be-12 is an anti-submarine aircraft used for reconnaissance and maritime patrol missions over the Black Sea. The military said the full extent of the damage in Crimea is still being assessed but emphasized that operations are aimed at systematically degrading Russia’s combat capabilities and limiting its ability to conduct offensive operations.

In occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian forces also reported destroying a Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system—Russia's long-range counterpart to HIMARS. The Tornado-S can fire high-precision rockets at ranges of up to 120 kilometers and has been used to strike frontline Ukrainian cities. Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, described the system as a major threat to cities including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson, and Nikopol.

Russian forces executed an airstrike on Sumy, injuring three people, including two children

Russian forces carried out an airstrike on a residential neighborhood in the northeastern city of Sumy around 4 a.m. on February 21, injuring three civilians, including two children, according to the National Police of Ukraine in Sumy Oblast.

The blast destroyed two homes and damaged at least 10 neighboring properties. A vehicle was also wrecked, and a gas pipeline was hit, raising additional safety concerns. Emergency crews are continuing to assess the full scale of the destruction.

Among the injured are a 5-year-old child, a 17-year-old, and a 70-year-old woman, who was hospitalized. Authorities are documenting the aftermath as part of ongoing investigations into attacks on civilian areas.

Ukraine rejected latest US proposal on Donbas

Ukraine rejected the American proposal during the latest Geneva peace talks to establish a demilitarized zone in the Donbas under joint Ukrainian-Russian civilian administration, calling the idea “completely unrealistic and unacceptable,” according to reporting by the Kyiv Independent. The proposal, discussed during negotiations on February 17–18, reportedly envisioned both sides withdrawing troops from parts of Donetsk Oblast and setting up a shared governing authority in the area.

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, said the plan would effectively require Ukrainian forces to abandon heavily fortified defensive positions and risk ceding strategic ground to Russia. U.S. officials reportedly compared the concept to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, but Merezhko noted that Ukraine’s front line stretches for hundreds of miles—far longer and more complex than the Korean buffer zone. President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously dismissed similar ideas, saying Ukraine will not relinquish sovereignty over its territory.

Ukrainian officials argue that Moscow continues to demand a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the region, making any form of joint governance unworkable. Lawmaker Yaroslav Yurchyshyn said proposals like this are premature and that Ukraine’s focus should remain on strengthening its military position. While the Geneva talks produced no breakthrough on territorial issues, Zelensky said one area of consensus emerged: if a ceasefire is reached, the United States would take primary responsibility for monitoring compliance.