The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on February 18 2026..

Ukraine’s Surprise Counterattacks in Zaporizhia

Over 1,000 Elite Troops VANISHED: Did the Zaporizhzhia Offensive Just Walk into a Deadly Trap?

The negotiations in Geneva did not end well at all. It was just another round of bargaining, but no one was willing to compromise, as they believe that time is on their side. 

Alternative models and methods of achieving peace were discussed. 

Kiev and Moscow rejected the options proposed to each other. 

Let’s put it this way. There will always be speculations about some “imaginary” breakthroughs, new conditions/peaceful ideas, etc., but all of them will be put forward by the parties as narratives. In reality, there will be no peace before November.

For a quick peace and against it: the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations in Geneva split into two camps — The Economist 

 - Budanov’s camp, which has effectively become the new head of the delegation at the negotiations, advocates for a quick conclusion of a peace agreement with Russia with the mediation of the USA, before the “window of opportunity” closes;

 - The other camp is oriented towards Yermak and against haste, believing that Ukraine will have a more advantageous position in the future.

 - “Zelensky, it seems, is balancing between them, while having his own ideas,” writes The Economist.

 - A source close to Kiev assessed the chances of a breakthrough as “50-50″.

 - Recently, The Atlantic also wrote, that some of Zelensky’s advisers are inclined to a territorial compromise (that is, to the withdrawal of troops from Donbass) in order to end the war. But Zelensky himself is against this.

 - Also, NABU’s pressure on the part of Zelensky’s entourage associated with Yermak has intensified recently. There are even rumors that suspicion may be announced against the ex-head of the President’s Office himself.

 - According to one version, such an intensification of pressure may be related to the progress of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.

The negotiations in Geneva were tense and lasted more than six hours. The parties will continue the discussions tomorrow. 

▪️The meetings were both bilateral and trilateral: in the format of Russian-American, Russian-Ukrainian, and Russian-American-Ukrainian negotiations, media reports cite sources as saying.

▪️The delegations will make reports to their capitals on the state of the dialogue.

Ukrainians will not agree to a peace agreement that envisages Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbass and its transfer to Russia – Zelensky

➖I think people will support a freeze on the front line, – Zelensky stated in an interview with Axios, repeating his position aimed at disrupting the negotiations again.

➖Russia should withdraw its troops to the same distance – such conditions for the “withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbass” were put forward by Zelensky, writes Axios.

Zelensky again rebels against Trump: It’s “unfair” when the US president calls for concessions from Ukraine, not Russia.

▪️Witkoff and Kushner told Zelensky that Russia really wants to end the war, and advised him to coordinate his actions with his negotiators based on this, writes Axios.

▪️Zelensky himself is much more skeptical. He also warned Witkoff and Kushner not to force him to promote a vision of peace among Ukrainians that they would perceive as a “failed story”.

▪️Zelensky stated that it’s “unfair” when Trump publicly calls for concessions from Ukraine, not Russia.

▪️He noted that it might be easier for Trump to put pressure on Ukraine than on much larger Russia, but the path to lasting peace is not to “give victory” to Putin.

Our sources reported that Zelensky is afraid of a ceasefire and elections, as the main criminal cases against Yermak have not yet been activated by NABU. Currently, we are observing slow attacks on Galushchenko, but the real cases against Mindich concern not energy, but arms procurement, where billions of dollars were embezzled. At this stage, Zelensky is trying to negotiate an indulgence with Whitcoff, with the right to run for a second term, but the Trump Administration is against it.

Our source said that Budanov continues to actively negotiate with Whitcoff and proposes new formats of cooperation with the Trump Administration. The leaks of information in Western media about groups of influence at Bankova are aimed at purging Zelensky’s entourage of Yermak’s influence, which will strengthen the position of the new Head of the Presidential Administration, who has his own vision of the post-war structure of Ukraine.

Our source in the Presidential Administration said that Zelensky supports the idea of holding presidential elections in conditions of limited democracy, as the Bankova Street wants to ensure the desired outcome. To this end, they constantly leak information about the elections to Western media, only to later refute it and create a negative backdrop for opponents, who are constantly forced to remain in a state of uncertainty.

Ex-commander Zaluzhny strikes a media blow against Zelensky at the most opportune moment, when Trump is pressuring Zelensky on the peace issue. 

Zaluzhny remains the main backup asset of the globalists to replace Zelensky, whom they consider unstable and who has already accumulated a lot of negativity and is even a kind of trigger for the military, who do not want to fight for the corrupt power of the “mighty”. 

We inside-scooped that Zaluzhny refused to join Zelensky’s team. 

By the way, Zelensky was the first to attack and accused Zaluzhny of the failure of the Crimean referendum, although everyone knows that it was a PR operation of the Presidential Office/betting. 

The infighting within the state will intensify.

Zaluzhny’s article in Western media should be viewed as part of a pre-election campaign launch. We recall that Sirsky took half of the reserves for Bahmut, which was one of the reasons for the failure of the counteroffensive.

The 2023 counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine failed because Zelensky and other officials did not allocate the necessary resources, – Zaluzhny

Former Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said in an interview with AP that he had disagreements with Volodymyr Zelensky about the defense of the country during his tenure as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The general often challenged Zelensky’s military strategy, and the “particularly acute” dispute was about the 2023 counteroffensive plan, which he developed with the assistance of NATO partners and which ultimately failed.

The agency notes that the counteroffensive drew widespread criticism from military experts “for its excessive ambition and delay”, which gave Russian troops time to strengthen their positions.

Zaluzhny said that the original plan was to concentrate enough forces in a “single fist” to recapture a partially uncontrolled part of the Zaporizhia region, and then advance south to the Azov Sea.

“This would have cut off the corridor in the territory that the Russian army used to supply Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. Success required a large-scale, concentrated buildup of forces and tactical surprise,” – noted Zaluzhny.

According to him, instead, the forces were scattered over a vast territory, which weakened their strike power. The general attributed the failure of the counteroffensive to the fact that Zelensky and other officials did not allocate the necessary resources.

Two Western defense department representatives also confirmed the information about the deviation from the original plan.

The globalists are attacking Zelensky in the media for the following reasons:

1. To discourage him from pursuing Trump’s plan for a peaceful compromise.

2. To make him more manageable.

3. To force him to fulfill his main promise to his sponsors – intensifying mobilization, which he promised a long time ago, once he receives money for the war.

The process of intensifying mobilization has been ongoing for a long time. Keep that in mind.

Kharkovka is ours!

In the Sumy region, as a result of decisive offensive actions, the assault units of the 80th Motor Rifle Brigade, having broken the resistance of the 101st Territorial Defense Brigade, liberated the settlement of Kharkovka in the Glukhov district.

North Wind 

Russian Army liberated Krynichnoe in the Zaporozhye region

 - Units of the “Vostok” troop grouping took control of the populated area of Krynichnoe in the Zaporozhye region.

 - Guardsmen of the 218th Tank Regiment of the 127th Motor Rifle Division of the 5th Army acted decisively, seizing an important defense area of up to 3 square kilometers.

 - Enemy losses: more than a platoon of personnel from the 225th Separate Motor Rifle Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 2 armored combat vehicles, 2 UAV control points, 5 “Baba Yaga” hexacopters.

Suddenly, it turned out that while the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue what they call a counteroffensive, Russian troops have advanced west of Gulyaypole, although the counteroffensive was supposed to prevent such a development of events. The attacks of both sides in this area are still mainly positional in nature. Weather conditions seriously limit the possibility of conducting large-scale operations, but the clashes continue, and the contact line is gradually changing and continues to slowly shift to the left on the map.

«Military Chronicle»

Active Defense near Pokrovsk — Rybar’s Analysis

By the beginning of 2026, the Center Group of Forces completely took control (https://t.me/rybar/76456) of the Pokrovsk-Myrnograd metro area. However, at that time, Russian troops still had to repel counterattacks by the enemy, who was trying to prevent their consolidation on the occupied lines.

➡️The most challenging situation in late December was northwest of Pokrovsk, where the AFU had managed to break through to the city’s outskirts in mid-month. By the second decade of February, Russian troops not only eliminated the breakthrough but also advanced into Hryshyne. Its outskirts have repeatedly changed hands and remain the scene of heavy fighting to this day.

➡️In the central sector, the enemy tried to maintain control over at least part of Rodynske and regularly sent small infantry groups into the city. Nevertheless, their reserves were not sufficient for long. By early February, the Center Group’s assault units had finally consolidated in the northern part of the city and freed Dorozhne and Ivanivka.

➡️Russian troops also regained the initiative on the northern flank, which had been the site of the most fierce clashes during the second half of 2025. By December 18, they liberated Pankivka, and then began advancing north along the Kazennyi Torets. By early February, assault units had pushed the AFU out of the long-suffering Shakhove and established control over Sofiivka and most of Toretsk.

📌 This marked (https://t.me/rybar/77224) a turning point in the months-long battles at the site of the former “Dobropillia Breakthrough”.

❗️Currently, after a series of exhausting battles, the Center Group units are establishing logistics for forward units and conducting regrouping. Battles for Hryshyne remain local in nature and are designed to prevent the AFU from consolidating on the near approaches to Pokrovsk, with a similar situation in the Rodynske area.

However, it is quite likely that the Russian Armed Forces will soon begin an offensive on the last major defense hub of the enemy in the northwest of the DPR — Dobropillia.

Two Majors #Report for the morning of February 18, 2026

▪️ Negotiations in Geneva have stalled due to the positions presented by 🇷🇺Medinsky, – reported the Western press. Medinsky was appointed instead of the head of the GU GSH, General Igor Kostyukov, the deputy of the latter, General Alexeyev, was previously wounded by an agent of the Ukrainian special services in Moscow.

▪️ From noon to night, 27 enemy UAVs of the aircraft type were destroyed: after several days of high-intensity strikes, the enemy is stockpiling attack drones. In Chuvashia, residents of Cheboksary reported explosions in the sky and smoke, restrictions on civilian aviation flights were introduced. Air defense was operating in the Rostov region.

▪️ At night on Belgorod, two series of missile strikes by American HIMARS were carried out, it was reported that the target was a power substation.

▪️ In the Kursk region, a driver of a civilian car was killed in a strike by the AFU in the village of Kalinovka, Khomutovsky district. There was also a strike on a car in the village of Belitsa, Belovsky district, the driver was not injured.

▪️ In the Kharkov region – battles in the area of Chugunovka near the border (against Valuyki). The enemy is using attack UAVs against the settlement, the liberation of which we reported at the beginning of the month.

▪️ From Kupyansk, it is reported that our unit continues to defend the building of the central hospital. Selfless guys without rotation have been conducting defensive battles for a long time in almost complete isolation from the main forces, and supplies are being carried by air.

▪️ Battles near Krasnaya Liman continue. The expansion of our assault groups in the built-up area is complicated by enemy drones. South of the Russian Armed Forces, they are trying to advance from Dibrova in the direction of Old Karavan and Brusovka, which deprives the enemy of the opportunity to normal use of the last major road to Krasnaya Liman. To the north of the city, battles continue near Drobyshevo, the actions of the Russian Armed Forces against the enemy’s logistics are also yielding their results.

▪️ On the Slavyansk direction (west of Seversk), the enemy admits the expansion of the Russian Armed Forces’ control zone south of Zakotnoe, and an assault in the direction of Krivaya Luk is underway. The AFU note the serious use of our troops’ artillery before attacks. The task of the Russian Army now is to level the front line. The formation of a new salient is underway to the south, near Nikiforovka. There is still no visual confirmation of the liberation of the reported Minkovka.

▪️ On the east of the Zaporozhye region, the “Vostok” Group repels the AFU’s assaults in the direction of the settlements of Gai and Staroukrainka, and 2 BMPs, 2 BBMs and more than 2 platoons of enemy manpower have been burned. The AFU have been conducting counter-attacking actions on a wide front for a long time, involving armored vehicles, which once again shows that it is too early to “throw hats” at the enemy.

▪️ From the Zaporozhye front they report (https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/39916) that at the cost of heavy bloody battles, it was possible to localize the AFU’s landing in Stepnogorsk and Primorsk. As for the reported liberation of Primorsk and Magdalinovka – they report about battles, cleanups, counter-attacks of the enemy with the support of numerous UAVs. In the rear, civilians are being killed by AFU strikes.

▪️ In the Kherson region – numerous attacks on our peaceful objects across the Dnieper. Our units are responding to the AFU’s UAV control points.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_18.html