Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko spoke about the government’s proposal to use biometric identification for online purchases of goods with age restrictions. He announced this following the results of a strategic session dedicated to the regulation of the platform economy, RIA Novosti reports . According to Grigorenko, it is necessary to introduce rules requiring buyer identification when purchasing goods in the 18+ category.

The United Kingdom will deploy a carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the Arctic later this year to strengthen security in the region. In a statement , the UK government characterized the move as a “powerful show of force with Royal Navy warships, F-35 jets and helicopters to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure.” The statement notes that over the past two years the number of Russian military vessels threatening UK waters has increased by 30%.

A former participant in the war in Ukraine, who is suspected of a fourth murder, was detained in Yakutsk. According to the local publication Echo of the Capital, this is a 38-year-old native of the Yakut village of Kutana, Viktor Savvinov. According to the publication, in 2020 this man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the murder of a woman. From the colony, Savvinov enlisted in the war, and in 2024 he returned to Yakutia.

Concerned citizens also bring flowers, candles and notes to spontaneous memorials and monuments to victims of political repression in St. Petersburg , Barnaul , Novosibirsk , Vladivostok , Perm , Gorno-Altaisk and other Russian cities. A note at the memorial in Gorno-Altaisk says: “Alexey, we remember you! Now your name is forever. You were a leader, but you became a banner! Now in our hearts you are the same Petrel from Gorky’s poem! And the memory of you cannot be killed!

The Kremlin botnet “Matryoshka” launched a disinformation campaign using the scandal surrounding the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladislav Geraskevich at the Winter Olympics in Milan. This was reported to The Insider by researchers from the Bot Blocker project, who monitor the activity of Russian bots on social networks.

Former Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko was informed of suspicion of money laundering and participation in a criminal organization. This was reported in the Telegram channel of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine (SAP). Galushchenko was detained the day before while trying to leave the country. According to investigators, members of the criminal organization registered a foundation on the island of Anguilla in February 2021.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused the Russian Armed Forces of deliberately striking his country’s diplomatic facilities in Ukraine. He made the statement following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Aliyev, the Azerbaijani embassy has come under attack three times over the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Our embassy in Ukraine was struck three times. After the first strike, we thought it might have been accidental.

Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has withdrawn from all Russian assets, the Mash Telegram channel reports . In the UAE, an athlete earns about $46 million annually, writes Mash with reference to registries. Nurmagomedov launched the KHABIB GYM chain of gyms with profits of up to $6 million a year through royalties and acquired Gorilla FC for $1 million, renaming it EAGLE FC.

On Feb. 16, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on findings that Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with epibatidine, a rare and deadly toxin sourced from the skin of a dart frog native to Ecuador. Peskov said the Kremlin firmly rejects the allegations, which were made public by the UK, France, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands on Feb. 14 at the Munich Security Conference.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the findings that Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine. He stated that the Kremlin resolutely rejects such accusations. “Very negative [reaction to these accusations]. Naturally, we do not accept such accusations, we do not agree with them, we consider them biased and unfounded. And, in fact, we resolutely reject them,” Peskov said while talking to reporters.

Vladimir Putin signed a decree expelling his longtime ally Sergei Ivanov from the Russian Security Council. The document dated February 16 was published on the official legal information portal. On February 4, Putin relieved him of his post as special presidential representative on environmental issues, ecology and transport, the last post the 73-year-old official had held since August 2016. The Kremlin then explained the dismissal as Ivanov’s personal request.

Scientists from North Carolina analyzed the behavior of European tree frogs (Pseudacris sierra) over the course of a year and concluded that air and water temperature affects the frequency of male croaking: as it gets warmer, they begin to make sounds more often, which helps attract females for mating. Global warming is causing male frogs to croak earlier. This is stated in an article in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, cited by Der Spiegel.

Belgorod during the blackout, photo: Reuters Society Anastasia Ulyanova 16 February 2026 While propagandists celebrate the successes of Russian troops, who managed to destroy the Ukrainian energy grid and leave the country without heat, a similar situation in border cities affected by retaliatory attacks has become a taboo topic on Russian state channels.

A security vehicle bearing the letter “Z” (a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) stationed outside the Borisovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, where Navalny is buried. Photo: SotaVision On the second anniversary of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death, memorial events were held in both his home country and abroad.

Investigations Alexei Remizov 16 February 2026 Russia is actively recruiting mercenaries from countries in Latin America and Africa to take part in the Kremlin’s «special military operation.» As The Insider has found, many of them arrive in Moscow and are then sent to a collection point in Saransk, the capital of Mordovia — from there, they are dispatched to the front in Ukraine. If a recruit refuses to serve, the FSB uses threats and intimidation to keep them in a Russian uniform.