Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,357 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today’s top story so far:
Russia is deploying additional forces near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast due to a shortage of reserves, the Atesh partisan group reported on Nov. 12.
Russian military equipment and personnel are moving toward Pokrovsk on a daily basis, likely from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia directions, according to the group.
“The Russian army appears to have depleted both its main forces and operational reserves for continuing the offensive, leaving it no choice but to expose other parts of the front,” the group said.
Agents from the 506th Russian Motorized Rifle Regiment, operating in the Pokrovsk direction, informed the group that hundreds of soldiers are arriving at their position daily.
The newly arrived troops are reportedly being sent straight into assault operations, sometimes without even being formally registered with the regiment.
Under heavy fog, Russia presses into Pokrovsk — Ukraine says 300 troops enter city
Ukrainian forces repel Russian attempt to advance toward Kostiantynivka, Ukraine’s military says
Last updated 2:22 p.m. Kyiv time.
Soldiers from the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade have foiled a Russian attempt to break through toward the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, the brigade said on Nov. 12 on Telegram.
The Russian army attempted to use foggy weather and low visibility to penetrate Kostiantynivka and its outskirts, deploying additional personnel for a potential breakthrough. Yet Ukrainian forces detected the movement in time and launched a counterattack.
The brigade did not provide details on the time or location of the fighting.
“The enemy’s losses were significant. Some groups retreated, while others remained in the fields,” the brigade said. “Their equipment was also damaged, so there will be fewer vehicles to attack with next time.”
Ukrainian soldiers repel a Russian assault on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast. (28th Separate Mechanized Brigade / Telegram)
3 Russian drones attack central Kharkiv, injuring 5 people
Last updated 2:05 p.m. Kyiv time.
Three Russian Geran-2 drones struck the Holodnohirskyi district in central Kharkiv, injuring five people, on Nov. 12, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Four of the injured were hospitalized.
The attack also damaged a civilian enterprise and nearby buildings, according to Syniehubov.
The aftermath of a Russian drone attack on central Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 12,2025. (Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov / Telegram)
Ukraine’s Special Forces confirm ‘successful fire attack’ on Russia’s Stavrolen petrochemical plant
Last updated 12:13 p.m. Kyiv time.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces confirmed its “successful fire attack” on the Stavrolen petrochemical enterprise, a Lukoil-owned petrochemical complex in Budyonnovsk, southern Russia, overnight on Nov. 12.
Drones of the Deep Strike unit of Special Operations Forces attacked an industrial zone in Budyonnovsk.
“Numerous explosions and a fire were recorded in the target area. The results of the strike are being clarified,” Ukraine’s General Staff said.
Supernova+, a well-known Ukrainian Telegram channel, posted video footage of the attack, saying that there were “at least three direct hits” on the Stavrolen petrochemical plant facilities. Local residents also reported explosions.
Video reportedly shows a fire breaking out above the Stavrolen petrochemical plant following a Ukrainian attack in Budyonnovsk, southern Russia, on Nov. 12, 2025. (Supernova+ / Telegram)
Ukraine’s Special Forces confirm ‘successful fire attack’ on Russia’s Stavrolen petrochemical plant
At least 2 killed, 13 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least two people have been killed and 13 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 12.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 90 out of the 121 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. Thirty-one drone strikes occurred at 19 locations. The fall of the drone debris was recorded at one location.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian drones attacked the Synelnykove district, killing a 47-year-old man, according to Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Russian army struck the region 645 times, targeting 16 settlements. A Russian FPV (first-person-view) drone attack killed a 56-year-old man driving a car in the village of Huliaipole, the local military administration reported.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia targeted 11 settlements, injuring six people, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks injured five people over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Donetsk Oblast, Russian strikes injured two people in the city of Kostiantynivka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
Russia’s air defenses are wide open — there’s just one problem for Ukraine
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,154,180 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,154,180 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Nov. 12.
The number includes 1,000 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 23,556 (+3) armored fighting vehicles, 67,126 (+87) vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,379 (+13) artillery systems, 1,240 (+1) anti-aircraft systems1,540 (+1) multiple rocket launchers, and 79,804 (+162) drones.
‘Compared to Bakhmut, this is already a different war’ — novelist Myroslav Laiuk on his wartime reporting
