Russia launches large-scale drone attack on Ukraine ahead of peace talks

The U.S. has started negotiations aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, despite the continuous attacks. And a plane with over 80 people on board flipped upside down at Toronto’s airport. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.

Russia launches large-scale drone attack on Ukraine ahead of peace talks

As Russian leaders prepared to meet with a U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia to begin talks about ending the war in Ukraine, Russia launched a large-scale drone attack against Ukraine on Monday night, Feb. 17. 

Ukraine’s air force said Russia sent 176 strike drones and decoy drones. The war-torn country shot down more than 100 drones, and nearly 70 decoy drones were lost from radar “without negative consequences.” The military did not say if there was any damage or casualties from the attack. 

This marks the latest barrage in near-daily aerial attacks aimed at weakening Ukrainian defenses and degrading the country’s energy infrastructure during the winter months. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led a delegation to Saudi Arabia, where he met with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and other top Russian officials to kick off initial talks about ending the war in Ukraine. 

Both sides have said they’re not expecting a breakthrough. The meeting is more to prepare for a crucial meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly as early as the end of this month. 

Among the topics to be discussed are the possibility of the U.S. lifting sanctions against Russia and a potential meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Ukraine is not part of this week’s talks. 

At this point, the U.S. would not allow European leaders to participate in the negotiations. Many, however, met in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. 

In a post to X late Monday night, Macron said he spoke with Trump and Zelenskyy separately. Macron said “all Europeans, Americans and Ukrainians” would work together for a “strong and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

After bringing together several European leaders, I have just spoken with President @realDonaldTrump and then with President @ZelenskyyUa.

We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 17, 2025

Macron added that Europe would continue working to support Ukraine while also investing more in its own security and defense, seemingly answering repeated calls from the Trump administration for NATO allies in Europe to increase defense spending and pay its fair share. 

In another development, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Belgium on Tuesday. 

During that meeting, the European Commission said that von der Leyen “outlined Europe’s plans to scale up defense production and spending, reinforcing both European and Ukrainian military capabilities.” She also reiterated the European assertion that “any resolution must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, backed by strong security guarantees.”

Israel preps for Hamas to release more hostages, return bodies of deceased

As the world marks 500 days of war between Israel and Hamas, the families of hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, gathered at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem on Monday, demanding the return of their loved ones. 

NBC News reported that Israel is set to receive six hostages on Saturday, Feb. 22, along with the bodies of four deceased hostages, which are scheduled to return from Gaza on Thursday, Feb. 20. 

Once that happens, only four hostages will remain in Gaza out of the 33 scheduled for release in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The remaining four hostages are presumed dead. Hamas is expected to release their bodies to Israel next Thursday, Feb. 27. 

Meanwhile, talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt are ongoing, and reports indicate that they involve Israel sending a number of temporary housing structures into the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.

At least 18 injured after plane overturns in Toronto

All 80 passengers on a Delta Air Lines plane that overturned at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Monday afternoon survived. However, over a dozen individuals were injured, some critically. 

Passengers on board described a sense of panic as they found themselves hanging upside down “like bats.” They managed to exit the plane and reach the tarmac just before a fire broke out. 

The plane was approaching from Minneapolis when it crashed just before 3 p.m. local time. The cause of the crash is still unknown, but strong winds with gusts reaching 38 miles per hour and drifting snow were present at the time. Air traffic control reportedly informed the pilots that a bumpy landing might occur.  

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is assisting the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in its investigation. 

This is the latest commercial aviation incident to cause unease among travelers in recent weeks. Less than three weeks ago, an American Airlines plane collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while trying to land at Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport, resulting in the deaths of 67 people. 

Two days later, a plane on a medical mission had just departed from the airport in northeast Philadelphia when it crashed into a neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of all six people on board and one person on the ground. This month, a regional airline also crashed in western Alaska, claiming the lives of 10 people on board.  

These occurred shortly after two deadly passenger jet crashes in December. One crash in South Korea resulted in 179 fatalities, while an accident involving Azerbaijan Airlines over Kazakhstan claimed 38 of the 67 lives onboard.

Leader of cult-like ‘Zizian’ group linked to multiple murders across US

Maryland police have arrested the alleged leader and a member of a cult-like group linked to multiple killings, including the murder of a border patrol agent. 

The Maryland State Police announced that Jack LaSota, 34, and Michelle Zajko, 33, are facing multiple charges, including trespassing, obstruction, hindering and possession of a handgun. Investigators indicated that they are part of a group known as the “Zizians,” which has been linked to the killing of a U.S. border patrol agent in Vermont last month. 

Fox 45 in Baltimore reported that the Zizians are mainly made up of transgender women who are vegans and have substantial concerns about artificial intelligence. They mentioned that LaSota established a network in California five years ago, and shortly after that, their landlord was found stabbed multiple times and shot to death. 

Authorities suspect that the group was also responsible for the shooting deaths of Richard and Rita Zajko in Pennsylvania. They were the parents of Michelle Zajko.

Top New York City officials resign as Hochul considers removing Adams from office

Four top deputies in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration have resigned following a federal order that prosecutors dismiss corruption charges against him. 

The Department of Justice’s order last week sparked a mass resignation of prosecutors in New York and Washington, D.C., including the Trump-installed acting U.S. attorney in the southern district of New York. 

The new resignations came as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signaled Monday that she may use her authority to remove Adams from office.

In a statement, Hochul said that ousting Adams, a fellow Democrat, would be a “serious step,” but noted that the “alleged conduct at city hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.” 

Hochul said she’ll meet with “key leaders” in Manhattan on Tuesday before deciding. 

On Monday, Adams remained defiant at a rally at a church in Brooklyn, saying he would not step down. On Sunday, Feb. 16, he said he was on a mission from God.

YouTube TV, Paramount reach deal over CBS, Nickelodeon, more channels

YouTube TV’s more than eight million subscribers will not lose access to certain content. Over the weekend, subscribers received messages indicating that networks like CBS, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon, among others, might be at risk of going off the air due to a dispute over carriage fees with Paramount. 

The two sides have now reached an agreement that will enable YouTube TV to keep offering Paramount channels, including Paramount+ and Showtime. 

Carriage fees are paid by TV providers like YouTube to broadcasters such as Paramount for the right to air their programming. In recent years, these carriage disputes have become a common occurrence for viewers with satellite TV, like DirecTV, who find their favorite local news going dark — leaving only a message on the screen.