A firefighter battles a blaze set by Russian strikes on Ukraine, February 12, 2026

Thursday’s Coverage: Zelensky — Elections Only After Ceasefire

UPDATE 0811 GMT:

At least nine civilians, including a child, have been murdered and 28 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 111 of 154 drones launched by Russia. Twenty-two UAVs hit 18 locations.

In the Donetsk region in the east, four people were slain, including an 8-year-old boy, and injured four in the city of Kramatorsk. In the village of Cherkaske, one person was killed and two wounded.

The toll in Odesa city has risen to one murdered and six injured by Russian strikes overnight.

Three of the wounded are in critical condition.

An enterprise, fertilizer warehouses, freight railcars, and other vehicles were damaged.

In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, a 66-year-old woman was killed and four civilians injured, including an 8-year-old girl.

In the Kherson region in the south, one civilian was murdered and four injured amid attacks on 37 settlements.,/p>

In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, a woman was killed.

UPDATE 0807 GMT:

Ukraine has carried out its longest-range strike inside Russia, claims an official in the State security service SBU.

Drones hit the Ukhta oil refinery in Russia’s Komi Republic, 1,750 km (1,087 miles) from Ukraine’s border, the source said.

“Preliminary information indicates that an atmospheric-vacuum distillation unit and a visbreaking unit were hit. These units are responsible for primary oil refining and the production of fuel oil and gasoline,” they sumamrized.

The Ukhta refinery, owned by Lukoil, processes around 4.2 million tons of oil annually.

UPDATE 0800 GMT:

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says partners pledged almost $38 billion in new military aid at the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Thursday.

Fedorov said most of the funding will go towards strengthening Ukraine’s air defense systems and expanding drone capabilities.

The Minister presented 18 strategic defense projects planned for 2026, including expanded funding for domestically produced missiles and the creation of specialized drone assault units.

“We are not just scaling. We are inviting partners to invest in battle-proven tech that changes the front line,” he said.

Noting that Russia sustained a record loss of 35,000 troops in December, Fedorov said Ukraine aims to increase the total to at least 50,000.

UPDATE 0747 GMT:

In an interview with The Atlantic magazine, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he would rather accept no deal than pressure Ukrainians into a bad one to end Russia’s 4-year full-scale invasion.

Zelensky emphasized that a settlement must ensure a dignified, lasting peace with clear security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking again.

“The tactic we chose is for the Americans not to think that we want to continue the war,” Zelensky explained. “That’s why we started supporting their proposals in any format that speeds things along.”

Zelenksy acknowledged that progress on guarantees has lagged with basic questions remain unanswered and the Trump Administration giving vague responses. “We need all of this to be written out,” he summarized.

Zelensky said of Presidential elections, demanded by the Administration, “No one is clinging to power. I am ready for elections. But for that we need security, guarantees of security, a cease-fire.”

Gently encouraging Trump to support Ukraine-Europe proposals to end the invasion, he said:

I think there is no greater victory for Trump than to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine. For his legacy, it’s No. 1….The most advantageous situation for Trump is to do this before the midterms.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have lost power, heating, and water after the latest Russian missile and drone strikes across the country.

Throughout Thursday, Russia attacks the capital Kyiv, the port city of Odesa, Dnipro, and other areas.

In Kyiv, almost 2,600 high-rises lost supplies, atop the 1,100 already affected by previous Russian stikes. More than 100,000 families are now without electricity.

Odesa was hit twice in less than 24 hours. Late Thursday, the second wave of drone strikes damaged houses, industrial sites, and energy infrastructure. A fire in a city market injured one person.

Almost 300,000 people were without power or water as of Thursday night.

In Dnipro in south-central Ukraine, four civilians were wounded, including a baby boy and a four-year-old girl.

In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, two people were murdered and six injured in an attack on the railway hub of Lozova.

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said: