What happened on 12 October 2022 in the war?

What did the war look like on 12 October 2022? It was a day when diplomacy, military aid and the consequences of Russian missile strikes on infrastructure all came into view, two days after the large-scale strikes of 10 October.

Condemnation at the United Nations

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of Ukrainian territory. Only Belarus, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Syria voted against it.

Air defence and other aid

Several Western governments announced support. The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence said it would donate AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to Ukraine in the coming weeks; the missiles are capable of intercepting cruise missiles. London also said a further 18 howitzers would be donated. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would send radar and air defence systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks. Canada said it would provide C$47 million in new military aid, including artillery rounds, winter clothing, drone cameras and satellite communications.

The pledges came after Russian forces struck Kyiv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil and Poltava on 10 October, killing at least nineteen people and injuring hundreds more.

Power supplies under strain

The effects on energy infrastructure were visible beyond Ukraine's borders. Moldova urged its citizens to reduce electricity use after Ukraine suspended electricity exports because Russian missile attacks had damaged critical infrastructure. On 11 October, Lviv had experienced a major power outage after a missile strike damaged what was described as critical infrastructure.

Moldova had also been drawn into the strikes directly: on 10 October it confirmed that Russian Navy warships in the Black Sea had fired cruise missiles through its airspace towards targets in Ukraine, and its authorities summoned the Russian ambassador to explain the violation.

Civilian casualties in Donetsk Oblast

On 12 October, Russian forces struck a marketplace in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, killing at least seven civilians and injuring eight others.

Crimean Bridge arrests and Belarus

Russia said it had arrested eight people over the Crimean Bridge explosion: five Russians and three people from Ukraine and Armenia.

The previous day, thousands of Russian troops had entered Belarus by the trainload, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned G7 nations that Russia was planning another offensive against Kyiv with direct Belarusian involvement. The movements followed an accusation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Ukraine was planning to attack his country. Also on 11 October, Russia added Meta Platforms, parent company of Instagram and Facebook, to its list of "terrorists and extremists", citing tolerance of Russophobia and calls to violence against Russians.