• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Russo-Ukraine War - 12 February 2023 - Day 354

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that over the past two weeks, Russia has likely suffered its highest rate of casualties since the first week of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian General Staff release daily statistics on Russian casualties. Although Defence Intelligence cannot verify Ukraine's methodology, the trends the data illustrate are likely accurate. The mean average for the last seven days was 824 casualties per day, over four times the rate reported over June-July 2022. Ukraine also continues to suffer a high attrition rate.

The uptick in Russian casualties is likely due to a range of factors including lack of trained personnel, coordination, and resources across the front – this is exemplified in Vuhledar and Bakhmut.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of February 12, Russia launched 2x missile strikes and 23x MLRS attacks. The threat of further Russian attacks on civilian targets across Ukraine remains high.

Russia is focusing its main efforts on offensive operations on Kup'yans'k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka axes. Russians are reinforcing their grouping of troops on Lyman and Bakhmut axes. Invaders' aircraft are active and striking at the positions of Ukrainian troops.
Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were found. During the day of February 12, Russian forces shelled the vicinities of 13x settlements. Among them are Novovasylivka, Vovkivka, Kindrativka, Velyka Rybytsya, Zapsillya (Sumy oblast), Vovchans'k, Ambarne, and Dvorichna (Kharkiv oblast).
Kup'yans'k and Lyman axes: Russian forces fired mortars and artillery at the vicinities of 17x settlements. In particular, these are Kyslivka, Kotlyarivka, Pishchane, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast), Novoselivs'ke, Makiivka, Nevs'ke, Dibrova, and Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast).
Bakhmut axis: Spirne, Vasyukivka, Paraskoviivka, Zaliznyans'ke, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka (Donetsk oblast) were shelled with tanks, mortars, and artillery. A total of 20x settlements were hit.
Avdiivka and Novopavlivka axes: Russian forces fired tanks, mortars, and artillery at the vicinities of 21x settlements. Among them are Tonen'ke, Avdiivka, Pervomais'ke, Nevel's'ke, Krasnohorivka, Mar'inka, and Bohoyavlenka (Donetsk oblast).
Zaporizhzhia axis: the vicinities of Vremivka, Novopil' (Donetsk oblast), Hulyaipole, Stepove, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka, Mala Tokmachka (Zaporizhzhia oblast), and Nikopol' (Dnipropetrovsk oblast) were hit.
Kherson axis: Russian artillery fire hit Kherson, as well as the vicinities of 14x settlements, including Mylove, Zmiivka, Vesele, Mykil's'ke, Antonivka, and Dniprovs'ke.

Russia does not stop terrorizing the residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson oblast. This time, the Russian invaders are pressuring the most vulnerable group – pensioners – to receive russian passports, threatening to stop paying any pensions.

During the day of February 12, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 2x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian forces' personnel and military equipment. In the meantime, missile and artillery units hit 8x concentrations of Russian manpower, 1x air defense position, and 2x ammunition depots.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that, over the past day, the 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were subjected to strikes by the western group of troops of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction. As a result, up to 80 enemy servicemen, six pieces of equipment and one D-20 howitzer were eliminated.

In the Kherson direction, Russian units opposed the Ukrainian artillery with the forces of their operational-tactical and army aviation, missile forces and artillery groups. Strikes were made on 78 battery positions and on 119 points of accumulation of manpower and equipment.

The Ukrainian Osa-AKM anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed near the settlement of Liman, and in Kharkov, armored vehicle assembly shops at the Malyshev Machine-Building Plant were hit by a high-precision missile strike. An ammunition depot was blown up in Druzhelyubovka.

During the day, air defense systems shot down 17 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 12 HIMARS, Alder and Uragan rockets.

Meanwhile, on the Crimean bridge, asphalt laying began on new automobile spans. All restoration work should be completed in March this year.

The situation in Donbass

In the Limansky direction, a group of troops of the RF Armed Forces inflicted fire damage on units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the settlements of Torskoye, Yampolovka, Stelmakhovka, Nevskoye, Chervonopopovka, Chervonaya Dibrova, as well as in Serebryansky forestry. During the day, up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen, one infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), five armored combat vehicles and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer were destroyed in the area.

Near Donetsk, enemy losses amounted to more than 250 soldiers, one infantry fighting vehicle, four vehicles, two M777 howitzers, Paladin and Akatsia self-propelled guns, one Giacint-B gun, and two Rapira anti-tank guns. An ammunition depot was destroyed near Belogorovka in the LPR, just like in Elizavetovka.

Ukrainian sources report that from February 13, access to Bakhmut will be closed to all civilians. This measure is supposedly introduced to prevent the penetration of Russian saboteurs into the city, travel will now be possible only with a special pass.

Meanwhile, fighting for the village and its environs continues. This morning, information appeared about the liberation of the nearby village of Krasnaya Gora. Part of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine retreated under the onslaught of Wagner PMC fighters to Paraskoviyivka, where battles also continue.