Key developments on Aug. 12:
- Ukraine takes 'effective measures' to stop Russian infiltration near Dobropillia, Pokrovsk, military says
- Ukrainian drones strike 'only Russian facility' producing helium for rockets, HUR source claims
- Second deep strike in days hits Shahed-type drone storage site in Russia, SBU says
- 'No sign' Russia preparing for end to war, Zelensky says ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Ukrainian forces are taking "effective measures" to halt Russia's advance in the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk sectors of Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff said on Aug. 12, describing the situation as "complex and dynamic."
The update follows claims from battlefield monitoring group DeepState that Russian troops pushed toward the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway, allegedly piercing Ukrainian defenses.
Earlier on Aug. 12, the military acknowledged that a small group of Russian troops bypassed Ukrainian positions near Dobropillia but rejected reports of a breakthrough.
The General Staff said more than 110,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the Pokrovsk area and are attempting to penetrate defenses by sending small infantry units between Ukrainian lines.
"Our units are engaged in heavy defensive battles against superior enemy forces," the statement reads, claiming that some infiltrating groups had already been destroyed.
The military added that Russian infantry groups "attempted to advance" in the village of Zolotyi Kolodiaz, where 44 residents live. The Russian military has also entered settlements including Vesele, Vilne, Rubizhne, and Kucheriv Yar, the statement added.
Military spokesperson Victor Tregubov earlier said such incursions typically involve five to ten soldiers and "look very different from how it appears on the map," emphasizing that no significant territory had been actually captured in the attack.
The Donetsk Operational-Tactical Group, the regional command formation responsible for operations in the area, accused Russia of inflating minor infiltration gains into an image of larger battlefield successes in its media.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Russian forces are using human wave assaults supported by artillery and guided aerial bombs, Maksym Bakulin, spokesperson for the 14th National Guard Brigade, told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.
According to Bakulin, favorable weather has allowed Russian troops to hide in forested areas and move equipment forward, prompting Ukraine to intensify drone surveillance.
Pokrovsk, located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of Donetsk, remains one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the front, where Moscow has concentrated its main offensive efforts since March.
The fighting comes days before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15, with the Kremlin seeking to improve its position ahead of potential peace talks.
Ukrainian brigades, weakened by manpower shortages, continue to face pressure in Donetsk Oblast, where evacuations remain dangerous amid repeated Russian attacks on civilians.
Ukrainian drones strike 'only Russian facility' producing helium for rockets, HUR source claims
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) drones on Aug. 11 struck the Orenburg Helium Plant, a key Russian facility lying some 1,200 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
"This is the only facility in Russia that produces a critically important component used in rocket manufacturing, the space industry, and the aviation sector," the source claimed.
Local residents reportedly heard drones flying overhead and a series of explosions near the plant. At 8 p.m. local time on Aug. 11, Russian authorities closed off a section of the M-5 Ural highway near Perevolotsky and Kholodnye Klyuchi, where the factory is located.
The extent of potential damage to the plant remains unclear.
Orenburg Oblast Acting Governor Yevgeny Solntsev reported that two drones were shot down over the region on the evening of Aug. 11. The official did not comment on any possible damage or casualties. A drone raid alert was also issued on the morning of Aug. 12.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Orenburg Oblast lies at Russia's southern border with Kazakhstan, while the helium facility is located roughly 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
The intelligence source described the helium plant as "Russia's sole helium production facility and one of the largest in Europe, with an annual capacity to process around 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas."
However, Russian media report that while the Orenburg Helium Plant was the country's only helium producer before 2021, Russia also operates Gazprom's Amur Gas Processing Plant in the Far East and another helium plant in Irkutsk Oblast as of 2025.
The noble gas can be used, among other applications, to pressurize and purge rocket propulsion systems.
The HUR source told the Kyiv Independent that the plant is one of the key facilities of the Russian military-industrial complex and is directly involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Kyiv has escalated long-range drone strikes against Russian military and industrial targets deep in the rear, aiming to undermine Moscow's ability to wage war.
Another wave of Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted Russia overnight on Aug. 12, with drone strikes reported at a plant producing synthetic sapphires in Stavropol.
Second deep strike in days hits Shahed-type drone storage site in Russia, SBU says
Ukrainian drones hit a storage facility in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, home to Shahed-type attack drones and foreign components used in their assembly, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Aug. 12.
The strike warehouses in the village of Kyzyl-Yul, roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine, igniting a fire at the site. The attack follows a similar strike on Aug. 9 and underscores Kyiv's efforts to disrupt Russia's drone production capabilities.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan is home to a facility producing Shahed-type long-range attack drones and other reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
"The repeated attack on this military-industrial complex facility aims to reduce the enemy's capabilities for 'Shahed terror' against Ukraine," the SBU said in a statement.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the SBU's claims.
Tatarstan, located in central European Russia's Volga-Ural region, is far from the front lines. Its capital, Kazan, lies about 800 kilometers (497 miles) east of Moscow.
According to Russia's Defense Ministry, nine Ukrainian drones were shot down over Tatarstan during the attack on the morning of Aug. 9.
Shahed-type drones, known in Russia as Geran-2, are long-range "kamikaze" strike UAVs modified from the original Iranian-model, that have become a central part of Moscow's arsenal due to their range, payload capacity, and relatively low cost.
Capable of flying up to 2,500 kilometers (1,554 miles) at speeds of 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour), they have been used extensively since late 2022 for long-range attacks, often painted black to blend in during night operations.
'No sign' Russia preparing for end to war, Zelensky says ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Russia is preparing to launch new offensives in Ukraine and has shown "no sign" of readiness for a ceasefire, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Aug. 11.
Zelensky's warning comes days ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with U.S. President Trump on Aug. 15. The leaders will meet in Alaska to discuss a possible settlement to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
"(Putin) is definitely not preparing for a ceasefire and an end to the war," Zelensky said.
"Putin is only interested in presenting the meeting with America as his personal victory and continuing to act as before, putting pressure on Ukraine as before."
Ukrainian intelligence and military officers briefed the president on Russia's ongoing military preparations, Zelensky said.
"There is no sign that the Russians have received signals to prepare for the post-war situation, at least not yet. On the contrary, they are moving their troops and forces in such a way as to launch new offensive operations. If someone is preparing for peace, they are not doing this."
Trump said on Aug. 11 that after his meeting with Putin, Zelensky would be involved in the negotiations, either in bilateral talks with Putin or trilateral talks with the Russian president and Trump.
Trump-Putin Alaska summit to be a 'listening exercise,' White House says
The Aug. 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage will be a "listening exercise," for Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Aug. 12.
The summit, set to be held in Alaska's largest city, will mark Putin's first visit to the U.S. in a decade and their first face-to-face meeting with Trump since the U.S. president took office on Jan. 20.
"This is a listening exercise for President (Trump)," Leavitt said, indicating that the talks might not produce immediate results, and adding that one-on-one discussions are "part of the plan."
The Trump administration has promoted the meeting as a breakthrough in the peace process, though Ukrainian and European officials remain wary of negotiations that exclude Kyiv. Trump himself described the talks as a "feel-out meeting" to assess Russia's readiness for peace.
The U.S. president announced the summit on Aug. 8, reportedly telling Ukrainian and European leaders that Moscow may be open to negotiations if "land swaps" are included.
A Ukrainian Presidential Office source told the Kyiv Independent that the Kremlin's proposal would require Kyiv to withdraw from partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in exchange for a Russian pullback from parts of Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
Putin has also publicly demanded Ukraine's withdrawal from partially occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts and a ban on its NATO membership as preconditions for peace.
Moscow reiterated these demands during the May Istanbul peace talks and again in the July 3rd round of talks, which wrapped up in less than an hour.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected handing over any new territory, urging a ceasefire as the first step toward negotiations, a stance supported by Kyiv's European partners.
The Ukrainian president is scheduled to hold an online meeting with Trump and European leaders on Aug. 13, two days before the Alaska summit.
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