Ukraine war: Record Russian missile attacks, Ukrainian gains, Putin accuses UK
Where things stand
Updated May 12, 04:34 PMRussian forces control about 20 percent of Ukraine and made 244 square kilometers of territorial gains in December 2025, their slowest monthly advance since March, while overall Russian gains in 2025 reached around 4,700 square kilometers. Ukraine continues to target Russian energy infrastructure intensely. Peace talks are deadlocked over Russia’s demand that Ukraine cede occupied territory, including all of Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea, as proposed in a US-backed plan. The UN has recorded nearly 15,000 civilian deaths and over 40,600 injured. Russian military casualties are estimated to have reached one million, while Ukraine reports 55,000 soldiers killed. International aid persists, with the EU extending a €90bn loan and the UK pledging further military support.
Open questions
- What are the terms of the three-day ceasefire that collapsed on 12 May 2026, and what led to its failure?Open since May 12, 2026
- What is the current status of the US-backed peace plan and are either Kyiv or Moscow showing willingness to compromise?
- How is Ukraine’s sustained targeting of Russian energy infrastructure affecting Moscow’s war effort and revenue?
- What are the capabilities of the RS-28 Sarmat missile tested on 12 May 2026 and how might its deployment affect strategic stability?Open since May 12, 2026
- What is the scale and impact of North Korean troop deployments in support of Russia?
- What measures are European countries taking to counter Russian sabotage and espionage campaigns?
Key actors
What's corroborated
Russian forces gained 1,910.39 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine in May, June, July, and August 2025.
114 sourcesacross 27 articlesRussia carried out a rare daytime drone attack on Ukraine, killing four people in the Cherkasy region and damaging energy infrastructure and industrial facilities in the west.
86 sourcesacross 16 articlesSome 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
58 sourcesacross 10 articlesRussian commercial vessels can be co-opted by the military for any purpose, as declared by the Russian government in summer 2022.
57 sourcesacross 11 articlesVladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 after years of tension, amassing troops and making demands rejected by the West, with stated reasons including false claims of genocide against Russian speakers.
56 sourcesacross 10 articles
Timeline50
Kremlin reportedly developing plan to sell potential war end as victory despite unmet goals.
2026-05-12: Russia successfully tested the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM, with deployment expected by end of 2026.
2026-05-12: Kremlin announces resumption of attacks after three-day ceasefire collapses.
2026-05-12: Zelensky says Ukraine willing to reduce long-range attacks if Russia avoids mass attacks, statement made before ceasefire collapse.
Ukraine has built hundreds of secret factories to mass-produce attack drones, used daily for strikes inside Russia.
2026-05-11: Putin claimed war is 'coming to an end'; ISW assessed Russia remains committed to maximalist goals and unwilling to negotiate.
Ukrainian drone unit Lasar-gruppen discovered and attacked a hidden Russian storage area.
2026-05-11: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Putin is weaker than ever, citing slow advances and domestic discontent; new data suggests it would take Russia over 30 years to capture Donbas at current pace.
2026-05-11: EU imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion.
Thousands of Colombian volunteers, estimated between 3,000 and 7,000, have fought in Ukraine since 2022, with one fighter describing his experiences.
2026-05-10: Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating a three-day ceasefire; Ukraine reports nearly 150 battlefield clashes, Russia claims Ukrainian drone and artillery attacks.
2026-05-10: Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating a three-day ceasefire; 51 Russian attacks reported, Ukrainian strikes in Belgorod kill two, injure six.
2026-05-08: Russia and Ukraine agree to a temporary ceasefire, per NRK Urix.
The Dossier Center reports that a presentation was held for the inner circle of Sergei Kiriyenko, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration, outlining how a compromise solution to the war in Ukraine could be marketed as a victo
2026-05-08: Ukrainian forces, including Azov unit, struck Russian logistics near Mariupol with Hornet drones up to 104 km behind front lines.
2026-05-08: Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating Victory Day ceasefires, with both sides reporting hundreds of strikes.
Ukraine resumes oil pumping through the damaged Druzhba pipeline, per Ukrainian source.
2026-05-07: Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds resigned after two drones, likely Ukrainian, crossed into Latvia and crashed.
2026-05-07: Ukrainian attack on Bryansk injures 13; Moscow downs three drones.
Russia appears to reject Ukraine's ceasefire proposal, shelling Sumy preschool shortly after truce was to begin.
Russia demands return of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine in Kursk, per Ukrainian official.
2026-05-06: UK's most senior army officer, Field Marshal Lord Richards, warns Ukraine cannot win without NATO forces joining the fight, saying Western allies gave Ukraine false hope.
2026-05-06: Deadly airstrike hits Kramatorsk while emergency crews battle fires.
2026-05-05: Russian shelling kills nine in Zaporizhzhia.
Military expert says Russia abandons 'meat grinder' assaults amid troop replenishment difficulties.
Ukraine claims to have developed a method to disrupt Russia's Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, previously considered nearly unstoppable.
Ukrainian drones attack Russian port city of Primorsk, causing a fire that is extinguished.
Ukraine claims drone strike damages Russian Su-57 stealth fighters at Shagol airbase, 1,700 km from Ukraine.
Russian forces attempt to gain foothold as fighting reaches outskirts of Kostiantynivka.
Russia may cancel military vehicle portion of Victory Day parade in Moscow, reducing to foot march with few hundred guests, due to Ukrainian drone strikes.
2026-04-28: Ukraine extends martial law for the 19th time, maintaining curfews and travel ban for men 23-60; elections remain postponed.