February 22, 2018 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Montenegrin police identify the perpetrator of a grenade attack on the U.S. embassy in Podgorica which occurred yesterday. According to authorities, he was a veteran of the Armed Forces of Yugoslavia. (BBC)
- Syrian Civil War
- Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- Russia blocks agreement on a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a 30-day truce in Syria. A formal vote is postponed. (The New York Times)
- Rif Dimashq offensive
- The death toll since February 18 in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta is more than 400, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (AP via Time)
- Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War
International relations
- In exchange for some of its national debt being written off, the Seychelles designates two new marine protected areas in the Indian Ocean, covering about 210,000 square kilometres (81,000 sq mi). It is the result of a financial deal, brokered in 2016 by The Nature Conservancy. (BBC), (Phys.org)
- Canada–India relations
- Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau rescinds from Jaspal Atwal his invitation to a reception. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Politics of Romania
- Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announces that he would trigger the dismissal procedures of the Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruța Kövesi. The announcement sparks protests. (Act Media)
- 2018 Russian presidential election
- Russian police detained the political activist Alexei Navalny and his chief of staff Leonid Volkov, who will be taken to court for having organized an unauthorized protest on January 28. Navalny claims that the authorities want him in jail when the upcoming presidential election occurs on March 18. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
- A grand jury indicts Missouri Governor Eric Greitens on charges of felony invasion of privacy by allegedly threatening to publish a nude photo of the woman he was involved with in a 2015 extramarital affair, if the woman ever disclosed the relationship. Governor Greitens denies the blackmail charge. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), (Fox News)
- Mueller special counsel investigation
- Special Counsel Robert Mueller files a 32-count indictment against political consultant and lobbyist Paul Manafort and his aide Rick Gates in the Eastern District of Virginia for multiple crimes including tax evasion and bank fraud. (ABC News), (Fox News), (The New York Times), (Justice.gov)
- Presidency of Donald Trump
- The Trump administration through the U.S. Justice Department announces charges filed against more than 250 defendants in senior-citizen fraud schemes totaling $500 million. (CNBC)
Politics and elections
- 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
- California State Senator Tony Mendoza resigns after being investigated over sexual harassment claims. (The New York Times)
- Rhode Island State Senator Nicholas Kettle resigns after being indicted on charges of extortion and voyeurism. (WJAR)