One person died and four others, including a child, were injured after Russia launched a massive ballistic missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities overnight on 12 February 2025, Ukrainian officials said.
The deadly strike, which damaged residential buildings and civilian infrastructure across multiple Ukrainian regions, came as the United States reportedly paused development of a formal peace plan to better align with European allies. The assault demonstrates Putin’s unwillingness to negotiate, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, emphasizing that only coordinated international pressure can end Moscow’s campaign of terror.
“Putin is not preparing for peace – he continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy cities,” Zelenskyy said, stressing the need for unified Western support “in the fight for a just end to this war.”
Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 71 Shahed-type attack drones launched from multiple regions in Russia and occupied Crimea, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The massive assault involved 123 attack drones total, with 40 decoy drones used to confuse air defenses.
The deadly strike damaged apartment buildings, office spaces, and civilian infrastructure across multiple districts of Kyiv. Emergency services reported that over 80 rescuers with 17 units of fire and rescue equipment responded to fires and damage in the capital’s Obolonsky, Sviatoshynsky, and Holosiivsky districts.
“Another horrific night for Kyiv. The city is once again under a Russian missile attack,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, calling on Ukraine’s allies to provide more air defense means. “Without missile defense, the consequences of this strike on civilians sleeping in their homes would have been even more devastating.”
The overnight assault also targeted multiple other regions including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts. Damage was reported in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Poltava, and Chernihiv oblasts.
