First modification: 02/12/2026 - 07:31 Last modification: 02/13/2026 - 01:03
Ukraine's allies have already pledged €30 billion in military aid to kyiv this year, British Defense Minister John Healey said on Thursday, February 12. Most of the commitments were made during the meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group in Brussels. Last year, the group raised a total of €38 billion to bolster Ukraine's defenses.
The essentials:
Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to disqualify the skeleton racer, Vladislav Heraskevych, for wearing a helmet with photographs of the faces of deceased Ukrainian athletes.
This minute by minute has been closed. Below are the most relevant events of the day of February 12 related to the war in Ukraine:
Russian airstrike leaves thousands of Ukrainians without electricity and heat
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and ballistic missiles late Thursday, further damaging its energy system and leaving tens of thousands of people in the capital kyiv and the cities of Dnipro and Odessa without heat, electricity or water, officials said.
In kyiv alone, around 3,500 apartment buildings were left without heat on Thursday after the latest attack left nearly 2,600 high-rise buildings without power, on top of the 1,100 already affected by previous attacks, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Rubio says he will have the opportunity to see Zelensky in Munich
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that he will have the opportunity to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at this week's Munich Security Conference.
Rubio made the comment to reporters before his departure from Washington for the conference.
Zelensky reaffirms his support for Trump's peace proposals to reach an agreement with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says kyiv has sought to back US peace proposals to end the war with Russia as President Donald Trump seeks to resolve the conflict before November's midterm elections.
Zelensky, in an interview published by The Atlantic on Thursday, maintained that he is willing to hold both a presidential election and a referendum on a deal, but would not settle for a deal that would be detrimental to Ukraine's interests.
"The tactic we chose is that the Americans do not think that we want to continue the war," Zelensky told the American publication. "That is why we began to support their proposals in any format that speeds up the process."
Ukraine accuses Russia of being behind false posts targeting Winter Olympics team
Ukraine blames Russia for a disinformation campaign that discredits its Winter Olympic team.
The false posts, which racked up more than a million views across multiple platforms, included a claim that the brother of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was banned from competing for wearing a helmet with images of athletes killed in the war, had recruited soldiers for the war.
The publication also claimed that a Hungarian athlete was wearing a sticker that said "we are all fed up with U(crania)."
NATO countries pledge hundreds of millions of dollars to supply weapons to Ukraine
NATO countries have announced hundreds of millions of dollars of support for the Ukraine Priority Requirements List (PURL) initiative to supply US weapons to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Thursday.
The NATO Secretary General thanked the contributions of the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lithuania and said he expects new pledges soon, without mentioning specific countries.
In a joint press conference with the British, German and Ukrainian defense ministers, Rutte did not specify the figure of support.
Disqualification of Heraskevych for wearing a helmet with images of dead Ukrainian athletes "plays into Russia's hands": Zelensky
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, reacted with indignation this Thursday to the controversial decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to disqualify the Ukrainian skeleton racer, Vladislav Heraskevych, from competition for wearing a helmet with photographs of the faces of deceased Ukrainian athletes.
"The Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of the aggressors (...) Having courage is worth more than any medal," the president wrote in a publication on the X platform.
Germany to deliver five additional missile interceptors to Ukraine
Germany will deliver five additional PAC-3 missile interceptors to Ukraine if other countries donate a total of 30, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.
The PAC-3, or Patriot Advanced Capability-3, is among the main weapons that the West has supplied to kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion.
"We all know that it is about saving lives (...) It is a matter of days, not weeks or months," Pistorius declared in Brussels after a meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group.
The minister noted that the Patriots' announcement has not yet been approved by national governments, but was "very optimistic" that 30+5 can be achieved.
More than 220,000 people in Russia's Belgorod region without electricity after Ukrainian attack
More than 220,000 people in Russia's Belgorod region were left without electricity after a Ukrainian attack caused an accident at a substation, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday.
"Emergency teams are working. Restoration will take at least four hours," Gladkov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Norway and France to fund more military support for Ukraine
Norway has agreed to contribute 4.2 billion Norwegian crowns ($443.25 million) in military support to Ukraine, while France has guaranteed a loan of about 3 billion crowns, the Norwegian government reported this Thursday, February 12.
The agreement between France and Norway includes the acquisition of a large volume of air-to-ground weapons and capabilities that provide surveillance and situational awareness to the French defense industry, Oslo detailed.
"The projects in this agreement respond to crucial priorities of Ukraine and have been identified after close dialogue with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (...) The projects we have identified in this agreement will have immediate effects for Ukraine," Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement.
Rutte affirms that Ukraine is resisting and that Russia is advancing with heavy losses
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Ukraine's ability to remain in the conflict demonstrates that that nation continues to hold its own in the face of the Russian offensive.
He added that Russian forces are only making very large gains on the front, while continuing to record high losses.
Russia completely blocks WhatsApp and promotes a state application as an alternative
Moscow announced the total blocking of WhatsApp in Russian territory for, according to the Kremlin, failing to comply with local legislation.
Spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the decision was already implemented due to the "unwillingness" of Meta, the app's parent company, to comply with Russian law, and urged citizens to use Max, a state-backed messaging service.
WhatsApp assured that it will try to keep its users connected and denounced that the Russian Government seeks to force the use of a state application that, according to the company, puts privacy at risk.
Since August, Russia had already imposed restrictions on WhatsApp and other messaging services, with many users only able to access via virtual private networks (VPN).
The Kremlin says it maintains an invitation to dialogue with Zelensky and European leaders
Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to his invitation to dialogue with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and with European leaders, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
Moscow reiterated that the Russian leader is willing to meet even in the midst of "very serious differences," although it noted that Zelensky insists that any summit be held in a third country. Peskov stressed that, so far, neither German Chancellor Friedrich Merz nor French President Emmanuel Macron have attempted to contact the Kremlin directly.
The spokesman also indicated that the next round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will be held "soon", although he avoided confirming a specific date. The last meeting took place on February 5 in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of the United States.
Two civilians killed by Russian bombings in eastern Ukraine
In the city of Lozova (east), attacked with Russian missiles and drones, a man and a woman died in their home and six other people were injured, said a local official, Sergei Zelensky.
Ukrainian drone attack causes fire at Russian Arctic refinery
A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery in Russia's Arctic republic of Komi, regional governor Rostislav Goldshtein said.
The official indicated on Telegram that the fire was a direct consequence of the impact, but assured that no injuries were reported.
Milano Cortina: Heraskevych is disqualified for helmet in tribute to Ukrainian athletes
Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milano Cortina winter games for competing with a helmet that showed 24 athletes killed in the war with Russia.
The International Olympic Committee alleged that no solution was found compatible with the rule prohibiting messages on the field of play. Its president, Kirsty Coventry, said the message was legitimate, but the rules prevent any demonstration during the test.
The athlete announced that he will appeal and accused the IOC of favoring the Russian narrative. The Ukrainian Olympic Committee supported the appeal, although it ruled out boycotting the Games.
Almost 300,000 people without electricity or water in Odessa after a Russian attack
Nearly 300,000 people were left without power and water supplies in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa following a Russian attack, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.
He added that about 200 buildings in the city were left without heat and another 10,000 users were also left without heat in the southeastern city of Dnipro.
Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles, 219 drones against Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force reports that Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and 219 drones in night strikes against Ukraine and the main targets of the attack were the cities of kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odessa.
Air defense units shot down or neutralized 16 missiles and 197 drones, the same source points out on Teelegram.
North Korea upgrades short-range ballistic missiles after involvement in Ukraine war
North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles have improved considerably since the start of its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to South Korean lawmakers citing Seoul's intelligence agency. The evaluation points to significant technical advances in this type of weaponry as a result of the experience accumulated in the conflict.
In parallel, Pyongyang is accelerating its program to develop and manufacture drones based on lessons learned from the battlefield, the parliamentarians added. However, cooperation between North Korea and Russia is not considered focused on advanced technology or the nuclear energy program, according to the same source.
Ukraine: kyiv mayor says another 2,600 buildings left without heat after Russian attack
Russia launched a broad missile attack against the Ukrainian capital early Thursday morning. “A broad attack on the capital is underway,” declared Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko on his Telegram channel.
According to him, several buildings were hit and emergency medical teams were deployed in the city.
More than 1,100 apartment buildings remained without heat as a result of previous attacks and another 2,600 buildings were left without heat after this attack, according to the mayor.
The buildings are located on both the left and right banks of the Dnipro River, in four districts of the city.
Russia: fire at a military facility after a missile attack
A missile attack caused a fire overnight from Wednesday to Thursday at a military facility in southern Russia, prompting authorities to evacuate the population of a nearby village.
“The air defense units of the Russian Ministry of Defense repelled a missile attack aimed at the territory of the Volgograd region,” Andrei Botcharov stated on Telegram.
"A fire broke out as a result of falling debris on the territory of a Ministry of Defense space near the village of Kotlúban," he added.
He specified that there were no civilian victims, but that the residents of the town would be evacuated “to protect the civilian population from the risk of detonation during the extinguishing of the fire.” He did not indicate where the attack originated from.
With information from EFE, AFP, Reuters and AP
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