On the night of July 12-13, 2026, Russia launched another wave of combined air strikes against civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine. Air raid sirens were activated in multiple regions shortly before midnight and continued to sound until the early hours of the day. According to data from Air Force of ZSU, the attack was carried out mainly with attack unmanned aerial vehicles type “Shahed“ (including jet engine modifications), cruise and guided aircraft missiles.
Chronology of strikes by region after 00:00
- Odessa region and the Black Sea coast: Groups of drones entered the Black Sea waters, heading directly towards the city of Chernomorsk, Belgorod-Dniester region and the area of the National Park “Tuzlovsky estuaries“. Local authorities also warned of a real threat of launching guided missiles (GAMs) in the direction of Odessa.
- Sumy and Chernihiv regions: Movement of jet and standard kamikaze drones has been registered in the direction of the cities of Sumy, Konotop and Glukhov. The wave of UAVs entered from the northeast with a variable course to make it as difficult as possible for the mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian air defense.
- Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions: Explosions and drone flights were detected in the Kryvyi Rih region, from where the drones continued to Kropyvnytskyi.
- Zaporozhye region: Russian tactical aviation carried out massive launches of guided aerial bombs (KAB) in the frontline areas. According to Ukrainian Pravda, as a result of The latest shelling in Zaporizhia has injured civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, and caused damage to a hospital, cars, and apartment buildings.
- Poltava and Mykolaiv regions: Local news sources reported the activation of air defenses and loud explosions in the sky over these regions after midnight.
Context of the escalation and international reaction
These midnight strikes come against the backdrop of sharp statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who earlier stressed that Ukraine was experiencing critical shortage of ammunition for Patriot anti-aircraft systems. This makes the country more vulnerable to Russian ballistic attacks. Although the US recently agreed to provide Kiev with a license for domestic production of these missiles, experts warn that actual production will take months or even years.
At the same time, Ukraine has intensified its offensive against Russian oil and logistics infrastructure in the Black and Azov Seas. This morning, a new successful strike by Ukrainian drones against an oil depot in Russia's Stavropol Territory was reported.
Today, July 13, 2026, Ukraine's international allies from the so-called The Coalition of the Willing is gathering for a key meeting in Paris. The main topics are expected to be increasing pressure on the Kremlin and urgently accelerating air defense deliveries to Kiev. The Council of the European Union is also scheduled to approve today a new expanded package of sanctions against companies supporting the Russian military-industrial complex.
The material was updated at 06:40 Bulgarian time on July 13, 2026. Expect the official report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria on the exact number of missiles and drones shot down last night.