THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
Day 1175 of the full scale invasion
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. In June 2023 I began providing a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 70 sources daily, which formed the basis of the script. While the Podcast no longer exists I have continued to make this Brief available for my followers here on Substack for those who wish to keep up with the news from the war.
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ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
For: May 12, 2025
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on May12 stated that day 1175 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine had begun.
The situation on the line of combat remains tense in some sectors. Ukrainian defenders continue to actively counteract the Russian aggressor, causing them significant losses in personnel, equipment and technology. Exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continuing to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deeper into the territory of Ukraine.
During the past day, 166 combat engagements took place.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 78 air strikes, used 3,058 attack drones and fired approximately 5,400 artillery shells across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
10 ENEMY UAVS SHOT DOWN
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On the night of May 13 (from 11:00 p.m. on May 12), the enemy attacked with 10 Shahed attack UAVs and simulator drones of various types from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Russia.
All 10 Russian drones were successfully shot down by air defenses.
Combat Operations in the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its May 12 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that:
Sumy - Kursk Border: Fighting continued in Kursk Oblast on May 12.
Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked near Tetkino and Novyi Put (both southwest of Glushkovo) on May 12.
Belgorod Incursion: Fighting continued in Kursk Oblast on May 12.
A Russian milblogger claimed on May 12 that Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian attack near Popovka (northwest of Belgorod City).
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk Sector : Russian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 12 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced southwest of Myrolyubivka (east of Pokrovsk) and seized the reservoir south of the settlement.
Novopavlivka Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Novopavlivka direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 12 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in northern Kotlyarivka (east of Novopavlivka) and likely seized the settlement. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) also claimed that Russian forces seized the settlement.
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Russia holding at least 13 Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant workers captive.
Russian forces are holding at least 13 employees of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in captivity, Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom reported on May 13.
According to the agency, seven of the detained workers have been “sentenced” to prison terms, while three others remain jailed awaiting “verdicts.” The fate of another three remains unknown, and they are considered missing.
Energoatom also noted that at the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces killed Andrii Honcharuk, a diver who worked at the plant.
The company said Russian troops continue to use the plant as a military base. Combat vehicles are stationed inside the turbine halls of the reactors, explosives are being stored on-site, and the plant’s equipment is steadily deteriorating.
Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant on March 4, 2022, after fighting in the nearby city of Enerhodar. Since then, they have controlled the facility and have effectively held its staff hostage.
In November 2023, Energoatom President Petro Kotin said about 800 specialists were still working at the plant despite pressure, refusing to sign contracts with the occupying forces, while around 3,000 employees had agreed to cooperate with Russia.
In July 2024, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that since February 2024, occupation forces had banned access to the plant for workers who remained in Russian-controlled territory but did not obtain Russian passports or sign contracts with Rosatom. As of July 2024, Ukraine had managed to evacuate 5,000 nuclear workers from the plant to government-controlled territory.
In February 2024, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reported that only half of the 10,000 staff needed for safe operation were still working at the plant.
That same month, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center said Russian troops had brought in personnel from six Russian nuclear power plants to replace the Ukrainian staff refusing to collaborate.
Energoatom has reported cases of abduction and torture of plant employees, while the National Resistance Center also noted that Russian forces have summoned workers’ relatives for questioning and made threats against them.
THE HOME FRONT
Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 2, injure 7 over past day
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least two civilians and injured at least seven over the past day, the Kyiv Independent reported citing regional authorities on May 13.
Russia launched the attacks despite a call by Ukraine and its partners for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12.
In Donetsk Oblast, one person was killed in an attack against the village of Zoria, while two other civilians suffered injuries in the villages of Dorozhnie and Svitle, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
In Sumy Oblast, a Russian drone attacked a car of energy specialists in the Sumy community, killing a driver, according to the local military administration.
In Kherson Oblast, Russia targeted 34 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson, over the past day. As a result of the attacks, two people, including a child, were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia struck the village of Kindrashivka, injuring a 62-year-old man. A 51-year-old man suffered injuries in the village of Ruski Tyshky because of a Russian attack, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a Russian drone struck a car, injuring a 72-year-old man, according to the local military administration.
Zelenskyy dismisses ex-deputy defense minister.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 12 dismissed former Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Havryliuk voluntarily stepped down from his role as first deputy defense minister on April 11, amid scandal over the ministry's handling of defense procurement.
Zelenskyy issued a decree on May 12 officially removing Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense and security apparatus.
The Presidential Office did not provide details on the reasons for the dismissal.
A source in the Defense Ministry reportedly told the news outlet Suspilne that the firing was related to Havryliuk's decision to transfer 78 billion hryvnia (approximately $1.8 billion) from the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) to a Polish intermediary company to purchase ammunition for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service.
Havryliuk was appointed first deputy defense minister in charge of procurement in May 2024. The defense procurement sector was reformed in December 2023, aiming to comply with NATO standards.
One of NATO and European partners' requirements for Ukraine was the establishment of two agencies that would be directly responsible for procurement for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not through the Defense Ministry or contractors.
Shortly before his resignation, Havryliuk on April 7 announced that the ministry planned to merge the DPA and the State Rear Operator (DOT), a sister agency overseeing the procurement of non-lethal supplies for the Armed Forces.
The announcement came as Defense Minister Rustem Umerov faced scrutiny and accusations of corruption for his efforts to undermine the DPA. In January Umerov fired Maryna Bezrukova, the head of the DPA, in a move that sparked outrage among anti-corruption activists.
Havryliuk announced his resignation on April 11 and was replaced by Serhii Boyev shortly thereafter.
RUSSIAN WORLD
At Least 10 Ex-Convicts Flee Army Base in Rostov Region.
At least 10 former prison inmates who joined the Russian army have escaped from a military training ground in southern Russia’s Rostov region, the Moscow Times reported citing local media on Tuesday, citing an anonymous law enforcement source.
The men were reported missing after failing to appear for uniform distribution on Friday morning, according to regional news outlet 161.ru. All were said to be unarmed at the time of their disappearance.
The reported escape took place on May 9, the day Russia held nationwide Victory Day celebrations marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Four of the deserters were reportedly detained while attempting to flee the Rostov region, which borders Ukraine. Authorities have located two others and were preparing to detain them, the outlet’s source said.
The whereabouts of the remaining four men were not immediately known.
The fugitives had reportedly been serving prison sentences for crimes including murder, rape and drug trafficking before being recruited into the Russian Armed Forces. They had signed contracts and were preparing to be deployed to the war in Ukraine, 161.ru reported.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and military investigators have not commented on the reported desertion.
RELATED INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Russia responsible for downing of MH17, UN body rules.
Russia was responsible for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight, MH17, over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, the United Nations aviation agency has ruled, BBC reports.
All 298 people on board the passenger plane were killed when it was shot down by a Russian-made missile.
The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster.
On Monday, the UN's Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted that the Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law, which requires states to "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight".
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was struck down over the Donbas region of Ukraine, during a conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces.
The majority of passengers and crew, 196 people, were from the Netherlands.
There were also 38 people from Australia, 10 British citizens, as well as Belgian and Malaysian nationals on board.
The case to the UN was brought in 2022 by the Australian and Dutch governments, who have both welcomed the ICAO's ruling.
The Dutch foreign minister, Caspar Veldkamp, said it marked an "important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability".
It sends a clear message to the international community, he added: "states cannot violate international law with impunity" .
In 2022, a Dutch court ruled that a Russian-controlled group had downed the plane and two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian national were convicted of murder in absentia.
The trio were all sentenced to life in prison however, as they were not extradited, they have not served time in jail.
Zelenskyy will only meet with Putin in Istanbul, lower-level talks pointless, aide says.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13, explaining that talks with lower-level representatives would be pointless, the Kyiv Independent reports.
Zelenskyy has invited Putin to peace talks in Turkey on May 15, which would mark their first meeting during the full-scale war. Moscow has declared readiness to launch direct talks with Kyiv this week, but has not confirmed a possible meeting of the two leaders.
"No, of course. Well, this is not the format," Podolyak said when asked about Zelensky meeting another Russian representative if the Kremlin's chief does not attend.
According to the advisor, even high-level Russian officials like ministers cannot make fundamental decisions on ending the war.
"That is, only Putin can make a decision to continue the war or stop the war," Podolyak added.
The comments echo Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak, who said that Putin might "delegate the technical and preparatory stages," but Ukraine understands "who is ultimately in charge."
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the potential meeting between the two leaders, suggesting he might attend as well.
"Thursday's meeting between Russia and Ukraine is very important. I strongly pushed for it to happen. I think good things can come from it," the U.S. president said.
Reacting to Trump's comment, Zelenskyy said he welcomed the possibility of Trump attending the meeting in Turkey, calling it "the right idea."
Ukraine and its European allies have urged an unconditional ceasefire starting on May 12 as the first step toward peace. Russia has ignored this proposal, continuing its attacks on Ukraine.
Asked by the Kyiv Independent whether Zelenskyy plans to make the trip even if Russia does not support the truce or if Putin declines to attend, a source close to the president said, "We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire."
The last face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy took place in 2019 in Paris during a Normandy Format summit. Since then, there have been no direct in-person meetings between the two leaders.
Ukraine and Russia have not held direct peace talks since the unsuccessful negotiations in Istanbul in 2022.
Air raid alarms sound throughout Ukraine as May 12 deadline passes with no ceasefire.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, continuing to launch weapons at various regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukraine and European allies on May 10 demanded that Russia accept a full, unconditional ceasefire for 30 days or face new sanctions. Germany warned that the Kremlin had until the end of May 12 to implement the truce.
Russia proceeded to target Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Odesa oblasts with drones after midnight, the Air Force reported. Moscow also launched KAB guided bombs at Sumy Oblast in the northeast.
The overnight threats followed a day of ongoing Russian attacks on the date the ceasefire was supposed to begin. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha informed European allies at a London summit that Russian forces continued attacking Ukrainian positions across the front and injured seven people in an overnight drone strike.
The Kremlin has rejected the call for an unconditional ceasefire as an "ultimatum" and instead invited Ukraine to participate in direct talks in Istanbul later this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky accepted the invitation, saying he was ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.
Putin has not said whether or not he will attend.
European countries have promised to enact sanctions against Russia's banking and energy sectors if ceasefire demands are not met. The proposed deadline for implementing the truce has now passed.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy," the foreign ministers of several European countries, including Germany, France, and the U.K., wrote following the London summit.
"We will keep Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions immobilized until Russia ceases its aggression and pays for the damage caused."
The EU also plans to unveil a new round of sanctions against Russia on May 14, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been more evasive about sanctions against Moscow. While he originally backed the Ukraine-Europe ceasefire demand, he soon changed tack, urging Ukraine to accept Putin's invitation to peace talks and attempt to negotiate a ceasefire there.
Six Bulgarian Citizens Convicted in the UK for Spying for Russia.
Six Bulgarian citizens have been convicted in the United Kingdom for spying for Russia, the Guardian reported.
A London court announced the verdict on May 12. It is noted that 47-year-old Orlin Roussev, who was allegedly the leader of the spy ring and pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison for participating in six operations that endangered the national security of the UK.
His deputy, 44-year-old Biser Dzhambazov, who also pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison.
Thirty-three-year-old Katrin Ivanova — one of two women who, according to law enforcement, was recruited by Dzhambazov for espionage purposes — was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison.
The other woman, 30-year-old Vanya Gaberova, was sentenced to 6 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks in prison.
Another member of the group, 39-year-old Tihomir Ivanchev, was sentenced to 8 years in prison, taking into account his good behavior and the fact that his involvement in the spy network had ended before their arrest in 2023.
According to the publication, back in March, a jury found Gaberova, Ivanova, and Ivanchev guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage for the benefit of a “hostile state.”
Another defendant, 33-year-old Ivan Stoyanov, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 weeks in prison after pleading guilty, although, as the judge noted, this happened at a “late stage” of the investigation.
The British prosecution emphasized that the actions of the convicted individuals “endangered” people’s lives, as they were conducting surveillance “on behalf of Russian intelligence” on journalists, diplomats, and Ukrainian military personnel residing in the United Kingdom.
The convicted individuals were informed that they would need to serve half of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole, after which they would be automatically deported to Bulgaria.
MILITARY & TECH
Germany May Supply the Taurus Missiles to Ukraine If Russia Rejects Ceasefire.
Germany has already said it will not pre-announce the transfer, aligning with new confidentiality rules on military aid, Defense Express reports.
Germany is reportedly ready to support Ukraine with the Taurus long-range cruise missiles, but only under specific conditions. According to a recent report, Berlin may transfer these much-anticipated weapons if Russia refuses a proposed ceasefire.
The decision, however, will not be announced in advance. Due to new rules on the confidentiality of military aid, Ukraine and the public will only learn about the delivery of the Taurus missiles after they are used to strike targets inside russia. This shift in policy reflects a broader move by Ukraine's partners to keep sensitive military support undisclosed for operational security.
The Taurus missiles, known for their extended range and precision, would significantly enhance Ukraine's ability to target critical sites deep within enemy territory. Their possible arrival signals a continued commitment by Germany to bolster Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities, if diplomatic efforts to halt Russian aggression fail.
As Defense Express previously reported, Germany has officially scaled back public reporting on its military aid to Ukraine, ending nearly three years of detailed disclosures on weapons transfers. The shift, introduced by the new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is intended to deny Russia insight into Ukraine’s defense capabilities and complicate enemy intelligence efforts.
While framed as a move to strengthen operational security, the change could also pave the way for more sensitive and powerful weapons, such as the Taurus long-range cruise missiles, to be delivered discreetly, with confirmation only expected after their use on the battlefield.
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