On February 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported at least six dead and dozens wounded in “one of the largest and longest attacks by Russia on Ukraine.” The assault began early in the morning and lasted for hours, targeting the capital Kyiv, the western city of Lviv near the Polish border, and the Black Sea port of Odesa.
In a Telegram post, Zelensky warned that cruise and ballistic missile strikes could follow drone salvos. “Our soldiers are defending Ukraine, but Russia’s clear goal is to overload the air defense system,” he wrote.
In the southern Kherson region, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said a woman was killed when a Russian drone struck a bus in the town of Bilozerka. In western Rivne region, three died and four were injured in a drone attack, according to Governor Oleksandr Koval.
In the Kharkiv region, a 60-year-old man was killed when Russian forces hit a community near Zolochiv with a first-person-view (FPV) drone. Police said two houses and several outbuildings were damaged. Further south, Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed that a 76-year-old man died in a guided bomb attack on an agricultural enterprise in the Zaporizhia region.
Fighting continues despite peace statements
The attacks come as U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin both suggested the more than four-year war could be nearing an end. On February 11, Trump said he believed Moscow and Kyiv would “soon reach an agreement” to end the fighting. “I really think the war in Ukraine is coming to an end,” Trump told reporters. Over the weekend, Putin also declared that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might be “close to ending.”
However, fighting persists on both sides of the border. In Russia’s Bryansk region, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said a Ukrainian drone wounded two people in the village of Antonovka and damaged eight houses and a car. In Russian-controlled areas of Kherson region, Moscow-appointed Governor Volodymyr Saldo confirmed two women were killed in separate drone attacks in the cities of Oleshky and Hola Prystan, and a man was wounded in the community of Velyka Lepetykha.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said four people were wounded in recent drone attacks, including three in the village of Bessonovka. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted and destroyed 286 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov, as well as over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
