Main news of February 26

A roundup of what happened in the past 24 hours.

RUSSIA

* Leopard, Polar Bear and Hare were chosen mascots for the 2014 Winter Olympics following the results of an all-Russian sms voting

* Two militants were killed in a special operation near the village of Yandi in the Russia's Chechen republic, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said

WORLD

* The U.S. Discovery shuttle has successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS), the NASA said

* The Russian Emergencies Ministry plans to engage a Turkish naval ship to provide security for Russians and citizens of other countries who will be evacuated by Saint Stefan ferry from the Libyan port of Ras Lanuf.