Ukraine Undergoes Nightly Drone Attacks; Germany Faces Early Elections Amidst Political Shifts

Russian forces launched drone attacks on Ukraine from three directions on February 17. According to the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 83 Shahed-type drones and other UAVs were intercepted over Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa regions. 59 UAVs were reportedly shot down. Emergency power outages are being implemented in Kyiv, Kyiv region, and Dnipropetrovsk region due to the attacks on energy facilities. Scheduled outages are only being applied to critical infrastructure. Power outages are also reported in Kherson, with energy workers addressing the damage. Strikes by ten drones were recorded in Zaporizhzhia, damaging 15 apartment buildings and private houses, causing power outages. In Kharkiv, a Russian drone strike in the Kholodnohirskyi district injured three people, with one strike hitting near administrative buildings. Germany is preparing for early elections on February 23, amid speculation about the next coalition's formation and its impact on relations with Turkey. Recent polls indicate the CDU/CSU alliance, led by Friedrich Merz, is leading with 30% of the vote, followed by the far-right AfD at 21% and the SPD at 15%. Experts suggest coalition negotiations will be challenging, with potential shifts in Germany's approach to the EU, immigration policies, and relations with Turkey depending on the election outcomes and coalition agreements. The rise of the AfD and the BSW is expected to influence policy decisions, potentially leading to a more inward-focused Germany. Russian Federation reported about interception of 90 drones over different regions of the country. In Krasnodar region there are victims because of falling UAVs. During the night of Monday, February 17, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on the interception and destruction of 90 Ukrainian drones, including 38 over the Sea of Azov, 24 UAVs - over the Krasnodar Territory, 15 - over the occupied Crimea. Also, according to the department, a Neptune-MD anti-ship missile was destroyed over the waters of the Sea of Azov. According to the 24Krasnodar news portal, explosions of drones and air defense were heard in Krasnodar, Gelendzhik and several settlements of the region. In Slovyansk-on-Kuban, as a result of the fall of the UAV, two private residential buildings were damaged, a fire broke out. It is also reported that the fragments of one drone fell on the territory of the Ilsky oil refinery, causing a fire. The governor of the region, Veniamin Kondratiev, wrote on Telegram that several buildings were damaged by drone strikes in the village of Ilsky Seversky district, and a woman was injured.