On the night of May 12, 2025, the Russian Armed Forces launched massive strikes using kamikaze drones on targets in Ukraine, affecting ten regions at once. As military correspondent Vladimir Romanov reports on his Telegram channel, explosions were recorded in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions. The attack was another episode of escalation of the conflict, undermining hopes for a ceasefire, which was demanded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, about 50 drones, presumably Geran-2, capable of carrying explosives up to 2000 km, took part in the attack. In Kyiv, air defense forces shot down several drones, but in the Sumy region, power lines were damaged, leaving several settlements without power. In the Odessa region, drones hit warehouses, causing a fire that took several hours to extinguish. Damage to infrastructure was also reported in Nikolaev and Zaporizhia, although the exact details of the destruction are being clarified.

The attack was a response to the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border regions of Russia. The day before, on May 11, Ukrainian forces struck Rylsk in the Kursk region, destroying a hotel and a car wash, where three people were injured, and in Khomutovka a drone injured a five-year-old child.

The context of the strikes is linked to the failure of the ceasefire announced by Zelensky on May 12 as a condition for talks in Istanbul on May 15. US President Donald Trump, who supported the talks, called on the parties to compromise, but expressed doubts about Kyiv's readiness. The "coalition of the willing", including France and Great Britain, is increasing pressure on Russia, threatening sanctions, Politico reports. Türkiye, which is acting as a mediator, has confirmed its readiness to organize a meeting.