BBC News Briefing

24 February, 2026

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. As Ukraine marks four years since Moscow's invasion, Russian soldiers have exposed the horror and brutality of conditions on their side of the front line. My colleagues at BBC Verify have assessed President Donald Trump's claim that crime in the US is at it lowest since 1900. And while much of the north-east coast of the US bunkered down during the recent snowstorm, spare a thought for the journalists reporting from the middle of it.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Russian soldiers tell BBC they saw fellow troops executed on commanders' orders

A treated image shows two men in a yellow and black colour scale. The men are facing opposite ways. The man on the left looks puzzled and the man on the right looks sad. In the background are the remains of a burntout car and an abandoned building.

Dima and Ilya both alleged that they were tortured. Credit: BBC

Russian commanders are ordering the executions of their own men, soldiers now on the run have told the BBC. Ilya, a former special needs teacher, recalled how he saw four men shot after they fled the front line and refused to return. "I remember one of them screaming 'Don't shoot, I'll do anything!'" he said. Another soldier, Dima, said he also saw men executed. He described being tortured for 72 days after refusing to order a so-called "meat storm" - assaults likened to suicide missions where men are relentlessly sent across the front line to wear down Ukrainian forces. You can watch Ilya and Dima's accounts here.

Get the latest: We'll bring you the latest news from Ukraine as the country marks four years of war.

Analysis: International editor Jeremy Bowen on why Ukraine remains defiant and does not feel close to defeat.

Peace talks: One of Ukraine's negotiators tells the BBC how it feels to sit across the table from Russia and try to bring the conflict to an end.

WORLD HEADLINES

The US stars and stripes flag flies in the foreground. In the background is a working port where huge grey cranes can be seen, and red ones in the distance.

Trump's new global tariff comes into effect at 10%

The US president has threatened to raise the tariff to 15% but has not yet issued an official directive to increase the rate.

Read more >

A man with short white hair is smiling. He is wearing a very dark, navy blue suit jacket, white shirt and purple tie. A French flag can partially be seen behind him.

Move to block envoy from France government access

It comes after Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's son-in-law, failed to explain comments about an alleged "rise" in violence.

More on this >

An elderly man with white hair, wearing a grey jumper is sat in front of a green hedge and is smiling.

Australia police find remains in mistaken kidnap case

The 85-year-old was seen being bundled into a car two weeks ago. It's thought the real target was a man with links to a crime family.

What we know >

A blurry image shows a large number of men blocking the street.

Student protests spread to more Iranian universities

They're the first large-scale protests since the demonstrations in December and January which led to a brutal crackdown.

What Verify found >

A man and a woman, both wearing light blue shirts pose for a picture next to a tiger which is standing on rocks. A man in a black shirt is poking a green stick into its mouth.

Probe after illness kills 72 tigers in Thai tourist park

Animal samples showed canine distemper virus, a disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems.

Read more >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Lord Mandelson: The former ambassador to the US has been released on bail, hours after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Confectionery theft: Chocolate is being locked in plastic boxes in some shops as retailers and police warn thieves are stealing to order.

'Miracle' birth: A baby boy has become the first child in the UK to be born using a womb transplanted from a dead donor.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Is US crime at a historic low?

Earlier this month, Trump claimed the crime rate is the lowest since 1900. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

President Trump has claimed that crime and murder in the US are at the lowest level for 125 years, with the White House attributing this to his "unwavering commitment to restoring law and order". But is crime really falling, and if so, what's behind the decline?

Find out