russia struck Kharkiv with Banderol missiles: the bodies of three people were found under the rubble of a building

Civilian victims of russian strikes on 12 October and the night of 13 October — per official reports as of the morning of 13.10; the data are incomplete and may rise. Different reports may partly overlap, so they are not added into a total:

• Kharkiv region, over 12.10 — 4 killed, 51 injured (4 of them children), strikes on Kharkiv and 16 other settlements (report via Ukrinform, 09:24)
• Donetsk region, 12.10 — 4 killed (report via Ukrinform, 08:28)
• Kharkiv, evening of 12.10 — 3 killed (bodies found under the rubble, as of ~07:00), at least 11 injured, 9–10 Banderol missiles: a stairwell of an apartment building destroyed in Kholodnohirskyi district, a five-storey building damaged in Shevchenkivskyi; the rescue operation continues
• Kyiv, 12.10 — 1 woman killed, 11 injured (per Mayor Vitali Klitschko), a drone hit a 25-storey apartment building in Darnytskyi district; another 3 injured by debris in the first half of the day
• Kyiv region, over 12.10 — 1 killed, 3 injured, more than 20 sites damaged (report via Ukrinform, 09:43)
• Kherson region — 6 injured; Sumy region — 2 injured (40+ strikes on 30 settlements); Dnipropetrovsk region — 1 injured; Khmelnytskyi region — 4 patients of a medical facility injured by a drone (over the day, Ukrinform, 07:53–09:09)

Kharkiv, strike on the evening of 12 October. According to the prosecutor’s office (via Obiektyv), the strike began at about 21:15 and lasted about two hours in three series; nine S-8000 Banderol missiles were used (according to Syniehubov, at least ten). Kholodnohirskyi district suffered most: an entire stairwell of a four- or five-storey apartment building was destroyed, and at least 10 private houses were damaged. In Shevchenkivskyi district a five-storey building was hit: a bank on the ground floor caught fire, six cars and the windows of three more buildings were damaged. Timeline of the figures: at midnight Syniehubov spoke of 8 injured and at least three people under the rubble; at 06:25 Ukrinform reported three killed and 10 injured; as of 07:00 Mayor Terekhov confirmed three bodies, and the State Emergency Service gives at least 11 injured, two in serious condition (a 19-year-old in burns intensive care). Among the injured is a State Emergency Service rescuer. Search and rescue work was still ongoing at the time of publication; the sources do not name children among those killed or injured in this strike.

Kyiv, 12 October. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a russian drone hit a 25-storey apartment building in Darnytskyi district: a woman was killed and 11 people were injured. Earlier in the day (around 11:30) drone debris fell in Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi and Pecherskyi districts, injuring three more people, including an elderly woman. In total, the capital had 1 killed and at least 14 injured on 12.10 (Kyiv Independent). Separately, on the night of 13.10 debris from a downed drone fell on a private house in Darnytskyi district, injuring a woman (Ukrinform, 09:11).

203 combat clashes were recorded on 12 October (Ukrinform, 08:37, gives 202). russian fire over the day:

• 90 airstrikes
• 301 guided aerial bombs (KAB)
• 9,516 kamikaze drones
• 2,619 shelling attacks on positions and settlements, incl. 31 with MLRS

Attacks by direction (the named directions account for only 83 of the 203 clashes; the rest are not broken down in the retelling of the report):

• Pokrovsk — 29
• South Slobozhanskyi — 20
• Kostiantynivka — 15
• Huliaipole — 12
• Lyman — 6
• Oleksandrivka — 1
• Kupiansk, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Orikhiv and Prydniprovskyi — no assaults
• North Slobozhanskyi and Kursk — no assaults (49 shelling attacks)

Ukraine’s General Staff reports russian losses for 12–13 October (total ~1,555,700 personnel; no independent confirmation):

• personnel — 1,390
• tanks — 2
• armoured vehicles — 7
• artillery systems — 51
• MLRS — 2
• air defence systems — 1
• operational-tactical UAVs — 1,889
• vehicles (incl. tankers) — 362
• unmanned ground vehicles — 15
• special equipment — 5
• aircraft, helicopters, ships, cruise missiles — unchanged

On the night of 13 October russia launched 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 2 Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles and 68 strike drones. As of 08:51 the Air Force reported 31 drones shot down and another 36 lost from tracking (probably due to EW). Separately, Ukrinform (08:05) writes that 88 drones have been shot down since the evening of 12.10 — a different sample from the morning report (see “Discrepancies”).

unverifiedKyiv, missile strike at about 22:30 on 12 October. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported a missile hit on a transport infrastructure facility in Dniprovskyi district and on a four-storey warehouse in Desnianskyi district. The Air Force, according to a Glavcom headline, called it six ballistic missiles; the explosions came before the alert was sounded because there was no radar warning of the launch, and the reasons are being investigated. Monitoring channels (via Interfax-Ukraine) suggest S-400 missiles were used on a ballistic trajectory — this has not been officially confirmed.

ℹ️unverifiedPresident Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News on 12 October that after Trump’s announcement of an “energy ceasefire” Ukraine had not attacked any energy facilities on russian territory; according to him, russia meanwhile continued to strike Ukrainian energy and gas facilities. This is a statement by one side, not independently verified, and there were no official reports from the General Staff, SBU, HUR, SSO or USF of new strikes during this time.

We didn’t attack any energy objects on the territory of Russia

unverifiedISW, in its daily assessment for 11 October (as retold by Obozrevatel), writes that pro-russian bloggers were sceptical of the “energy ceasefire”, which shows that the state is not preparing to conclude it. ISW also believes moscow seeks to repeat March 2025 — a US pause in intelligence sharing with Ukraine — and to cast Ukraine as responsible for derailing the talks.

unverifiedThe energy “ceasefire” as of the morning of 13 October. According to Axios (11.10, Barak Ravid), Trump announced it on Truth Social; according to an anonymous White House official, it is a “refinery for refinery” scheme, which a Ukrainian official considers asymmetric ( Ukraine has one partly working refinery). Special envoys Witkoff and Kushner, according to Axios, have put their trip to moscow on hold until they find out whether Kyiv and Europe will back a single proposal for putin. According to the Kyiv Independent (12.10), Peskov said russia has “nothing to say” about the ceasefire. Zelensky (Fox News, 12.10) is ready for an energy ceasefire but wants it to cover the power grids too: “If russia will not attack our energy, we will not attack the energy”.

If Russia will not attack our energy, we will not attack the energy

The EU Council on 12 October: Hungary’s demand was met — the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the law on education (Zelensky signed them), after which, according to Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, all EU countries agreed to open clusters 2 and 3 of the accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova; he called 13 October a “super Tuesday” for Albania, Moldova and Ukraine. Zelensky also said the EU will allocate about €3 bn in military aid this week.

unverified Finland, according to Ukrinform (13.10, 06:51), is initiating an EU ban on tourist visas for russian citizens.

unverifiedAccording to Axios headlines (10–12.10): Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick wants to bring to a House vote a block on russian oil purchases; journalists write to the outlet about a “putin problem” for Republican candidates because of Trump’s deal of 9.10. Also, according to anonymous sources of the Kyiv Independent (12.10), the administration threatened to stop intelligence sharing and arms supplies if strikes on russian refineries continued.

🕊️🛢️ Ukraine and russia. On 12 October on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, before boarding Marine One, Trump, asked whether the sides had really agreed to an energy ceasefire, replied that they “agreed because I said so”. Asked about russian strikes on Ukrainian energy after the announcement, he said he would find out about it because there had been violations on both sides, giving no evidence. There is no confirmation from the sides: Kyiv calls the announcement “news”, and the kremlin, according to the Kyiv Independent, has “nothing to say” so far.

They agreed. Do you know why? Because I said they agreed. That’s why.

🤝unverifiedAccording to Liga.net and Glavcom (13.10), Trump said he will “make” putin and Zelensky reach a deal and that, in his view, putin wants a deal more than Zelensky does: one has to make sure Zelensky wants it.

unverifiedUS. An anonymous White House official (Axios, 11.10) on russia’s readiness for an energy ceasefire: “We will know soon if they are ready”, and on Trump’s attitude to Zelensky: “Trump is really mad. He feels Zelensky is taking the U.S. for granted”. These words have not been officially confirmed.

We will know soon if they are ready.

European Union. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said on 12 October in Luxembourg, before a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, that the “energy ceasefire” benefits russia, because Ukraine has only one refinery and russia has many; the EU welcomes it provided it is observed, but “so far we do not see russia observing it”. In her words, the only way to end the war is to increase pressure on russia, and she called on the US to impose sanctions. Kallas also said elections in Ukraine are impossible while fighting continues.

France. President Emmanuel Macron said on 12 October at the opening of the Paris motor show that over the previous 48 hours he had not seen any energy ceasefire on russia’s part: it keeps striking Ukrainian energy, so there is no reason to change France’s position. In his words, returning to energy issues with the russians is possible only with a genuine ceasefire on both sides; he called for finding ways to stop strikes on energy and in the Black Sea and to resume peace talks.

Germany. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in a conversation with Zelensky (reported by Zelensky on X on the morning of 13.10), said russia must agree to a ceasefire on energy infrastructure — an important step towards lasting peace. The sides also agreed on a meeting of the national security advisers of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine and on preparing a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” in Berlin in winter; there is no exact date.

🗣️unverifiedDmitry Peskov, putin’s press secretary, on 12 October: on the “energy ceasefire” he said there is no answer yet, “contacts are continuing” and russia will inform when it has something to say. He rejected a 60-day ceasefire for elections in Ukraine: in his words, Kyiv needs it to “regroup, lick its wounds and continue the war”, while putin, as he put it, is ready not to order strikes only on election day. Context: on 11.10 Zelensky said elections are possible with a full 60-day ceasefire; ISW believes russia exploits the impossibility of elections under martial law to drag out the war. The words are given as retold by Ukrainian aggregators (citing Reuters).

🗣️unverifiedSergei Lavrov, russia’s foreign minister, told reporters on 12 October that russia will not give Ukraine a respite at the front because Zelensky “has not earned” it, and that moscow will no longer rely on Kyiv’s promises. Context: this is a response to Zelensky’s statement of readiness for an energy ceasefire on condition of reciprocity; in Kyiv Lavrov’s words were called cynical.