What did 12 October 2022 reveal about Ukraine's air defence?

What did 12 October 2022 show about the state of the war's security picture? Two days after Russian missile strikes hit cities across Ukraine, the day was defined by Western pledges of air defence, a lopsided diplomatic vote and mounting damage to energy infrastructure.

Air defence pledges

The strikes of 10 October 2022 had hit Kyiv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil and Poltava, killing at least nineteen people and injuring hundreds more. On 12 October, allies announced help aimed at the threat from the air.

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.

A vote at the United Nations

The same day, 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.

Power cuts and their reach

The strikes were also felt in the electricity network. On 11 October 2022, Lviv had suffered a major power outage after a Russian missile strike damaged what was described as critical infrastructure. By 12 October, Moldova was urging its citizens to reduce their use of electricity after Ukraine suspended electricity exports because Russian missile attacks had damaged critical infrastructure.

Moldova had also been drawn into the airspace dimension of the war. On 10 October 2022 it confirmed that Russian Navy warships in the Black Sea had fired cruise missiles through its airspace to strike targets inside Ukraine, and it summoned the Russian ambassador to explain the violation.

Fighting and civilian harm

On the ground, Russian forces struck a marketplace in Avdiivka, in Donetsk Oblast, on 12 October. At least seven civilians were killed and eight others injured.

Belarus and the Crimean Bridge

Concern about the northern border was also in the news. On 11 October 2022, thousands of Russian troops were reported entering Belarus by the trainload. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned G7 nations that Russia was planning another offensive against Kyiv with direct Belarusian involvement. The movements came a day after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accused Ukraine of planning to attack his country.

On 12 October, Russia said it had arrested eight people over the Crimea Bridge explosion: five Russians and three people from Ukraine and Armenia.

Separately, on 11 October 2022, Russia added Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, to its list of "terrorists and extremists", citing tolerance of Russophobia and calls to violence against Russians.

The picture that day

Taken together, the events of 12 October 2022 showed a war in which missile strikes on infrastructure were being met with promises of interceptors and radar from Ukraine's partners, while the effects spread to neighbouring Moldova and to civilians in Donetsk Oblast. The international vote at the UN, meanwhile, left Russia with only four supporters.