Ukraine Drones Strike Crimea, Moscow, Oil Depot, Russia Says

 Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Drones Strike Crimea, Moscow, Oil Depot, Russia Says

 Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)

Russia said it thwarted a coordinated Ukrainian attack on Crimea early on Sunday, while drones also targeted Moscow, disrupting air traffic in the capital, and caused a fire at an oil depot in the southwest of the country.

Ukraine in recent days has launched a series of strikes on Russian military targets in occupied Crimea and the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet's facilities, seeking to undermine Moscow's war efforts in the critical region.

Attacks deep inside Russia, far from the front lines, have also increased, with Moscow's mayor saying at least two drones were shot down in the capital region early on Sunday.

Reuters could not independently verify Sunday's reports and there were no immediate comment from Kyiv.

In an opinion piece late on Saturday, Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's Security Council, urged Kyiv's allies to speed up the delivery of weapons, saying this was the only way to end the war.

"For example, the complete or partial elimination of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is a doable task, should significantly accelerate the process of Russia's search for a way out of the ongoing war," Danilov wrote on the Ukrainska Pravda news site.

Russian air defense systems destroyed at least six drones targeting Crimea from different directions, Russia's defense ministry said on Sunday.

The report on the Telegram messaging app did not say whether there was any damage or casualties in the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in a broadly condemned move in 2014, eight years before Moscow's full-fledged invasion.

In the Moscow region, a drone was destroyed over the Istra district and another over the Ramensky district, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram, adding there were no casualties or damage from drone debris.

At least 30 flights were delayed and six cancelled at Moscow's major airports, Russian state news agencies said - a frequent move by aviation authorities during drone strikes.

In southwestern Russia, a Ukrainian drone damaged an oil depot early on Sunday, sparking a fire at a fuel tank that was later extinguished, the regional governor said.

"There are no casualties, all emergency services are working on the territory of the facility," the governor of the Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, said on Telegram.

He did not specify whether the depot was hit by debris or targeted by the drone.



Florida Airport to be Renamed after US President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Florida Airport to be Renamed after US President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

An airport in Florida will soon be renamed after US President Donald Trump, after a bill proposing the change was approved by the state's legislature on Thursday.

Trump, a real estate mogul who has plastered his name on buildings around the world, has sought to leave his mark on the country in an unprecedented image and building campaign.

Florida's Republican-led legislature approved a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport as the "President Donald J. Trump International Airport," state records show. Governor Ron DeSantis, once a Trump opponent, is expected to sign the measure into law.

The airport in Palm Beach, a town known for its sandy beaches and luxurious estates, is just minutes away from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

The airport renaming will also require the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration, AFP reported.

It would then become the latest institution to be renamed after Trump.

The president's handpicked board of the Kennedy Center, an arts complex and memorial to late president John F. Kennedy in Washington, voted in December to rename itself the "Trump-Kennedy Center."

Trump has also sought to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles International Airport after himself, according to US media reports, although those efforts were rebuffed.

The Treasury Department has also confirmed reports that drafts have been drawn up for a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump's image, even though there are laws against displaying the image of a sitting or living president on money.


Venezuela: Amnesty Law Excludes those who Promoted Military Action

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
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Venezuela: Amnesty Law Excludes those who Promoted Military Action

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)

Venezuela's parliament unanimously approved an amnesty law on Thursday that could free political prisoners, almost two months after President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces.

“The law on democratic coexistence has been approved. It has been forwarded to acting president Delcy Rodriguez for announcement,” said National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, before parliament.

Acting president Delcy Rodriguez signed the legislation after it was handed to her by Jorge Rodrigez, her brother.

The passage of the law led to the end of a hunger strike by relatives of political prisoners.

Ten women have participated in a hunger strike outside the Zona 7 police facility in the capital Caracas last Saturday, setting up camps outside the prison and demanding the release of their relatives, according to AFP.

Because they experienced health problems, nine of them stopped the protest on Wednesday evening. Only one woman continued until Thursday, ending “136 hours,” or more than five days, of strike.

But the amnesty law excludes those who have been prosecuted or convicted of promoting military action against the country – which could include opposition leaders like Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has been accused by the ruling party of calling for international intervention like the one that ousted Maduro.

Article 9 of the bill lists those excluded from amnesty as “persons who are being prosecuted or may be convicted for promoting, instigating, soliciting, invoking, favoring, facilitating, financing or participating in armed actions or the use of force against the people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of Venezuela “by foreign states, corporations or individuals.”


Türkiye’s Approval of Peace Roadmap is Important Step, PKK Source Says

A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)
A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)
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Türkiye’s Approval of Peace Roadmap is Important Step, PKK Source Says

A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)
A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)

A Turkish parliamentary commission's approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source told Reuters on Thursday.

The commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve the report, advancing a peace process designed to end decades of conflict.

"The vote is considered an achievement and an important ‌step toward consolidating democracy ‌in Türkiye," said the PKK source.

The PKK - designated a ‌terrorist ⁠organization by Türkiye, ⁠the United States and the European Union - halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to disband and end its armed struggle.

The parliamentary vote shifts the peace process to the legislative theatre, as President Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye’s leader of more than two decades, bids to end a conflict focused in mainly Kurdish southeast Türkiye.

The insurgency began in 1984 and has killed more than 40,000 people, sowing deep discord at home and ⁠spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria.

IMPORTANT ISSUES OUTSTANDING

The PKK ‌source said there were foundations for resolving ‌the Kurdish issue, but there was a lack of clarity on the issue in the report.

"There also ‌remain other important issues, such as initiating constitutional amendments, especially in aspects related to ‌the Kurdish language as well as amendments to the anti-terrorism law," the source said.

Another issue was legislation concerning the return of PKK militants to Türkiye and their integration into society, the source said.

A key element of Wednesday's report recommended strengthening mechanisms to ensure compliance with decisions by the ‌European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court.

Among key ECHR decisions related to Türkiye are rulings that the rights of ⁠jailed former pro-Kurdish ⁠party leader Selahattin Demirtas had been violated and that he should be released immediately.

Ankara's final appeal against that was rejected in November.

SIGN OF INTENT

Demirtas' lawyer Mahsuni Karaman told Reuters the report's comments on the ECHR were important as a sign of intent.

"We hope this will be reflected in judicial practice—that is our wish and expectation,” Karaman said.

Demirtas was detained in November 2016 on terrorism-related charges, which he denies. In May 2024, a court convicted him in connection with deadly 2014 protests and sentenced him to more than 40 years in prison.

Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli, a key Erdogan ally whose call in 2024 triggered the current PKK peace process, said in November that it "would be beneficial" to release Demirtas from prison.

The opposition pro-Kurdish DEM Party — the successor party of Demirtas' HDP — remains parliament's third-largest bloc and has cooperated closely with the parliamentary commission.