According to satellite data, the fiercest fighting is taking place in the Zaporizhzhia, eastern Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and northeastern Kharkiv regions, while Russia claims to have repelled a massive attack of up to 1,000 Ukrainian drones.
The Russian offensive in northeastern Ukraine gained new momentum on August 12, 2026, with the simultaneous collapse of Ukrainian defenses at multiple points along the front line and massive mutual drone attacks. According to data from NASA's FIRMS system for detecting thermal anomalies, the intensity of fighting over the past 48 hours has been concentrated around Zaporizhzhia, eastern Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and northeastern Kharkiv, rather than in the Sumy region or northwestern Kharkiv, as previously suggested.
On the Sumy axis, the battle for the border village is nearing its end, and a lightning attack toward the settlement of Vushenky has begun, according to the Military Summary channel on Telegram. Meanwhile, in the Kharkiv region, Russian forces have captured the village of Shcherbynivka, sabotage groups have entered Chorne, and villages around Vovchansk are falling one after another. "The front line has completely collapsed, and Ukrainian forces are being pushed back toward Velykyi Burluk and Shevchenkove," the report states.
On the Zaporizhzhia direction, reliable sources confirm that the Russians have established full control over the Mala Tokmachka pocket, creating a stable logistics hub to accelerate attacks on Orikhiv. At the same time, the city of Zaporizhzhia was hit by ballistic missiles and drones, destroying a large warehouse. AMK Mapping shared footage on Telegram of a missile fired at the city, noting that it was an air-to-air missile.
The night of August 11-12 brought one of the fiercest aerial battles since the start of the war. Ukraine launched a swarm of up to 1,000 drones, including conventional, jet-powered, and reconnaissance types, toward southern Russia and Novorossiysk. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that all were repelled. Russia responded with 138 drones, of which 112 were intercepted, and in the morning struck Kyiv with new Geran-3/4 jet drones, destroying a large ammunition depot.
The escalation was further fueled by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who threatened a retaliatory strike against any Western actions targeting Russian ships in international waters. According to NASA's FIRMS data, the most prominent hotspots are the Stepnohirsk, Pokrovske, Dobropillia, Novopavlivka, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Kupiansk, and Bilyi Kolodiaz axes. On the other hand, fighting has somewhat subsided on the Borova, Orikhiv, Omelnyk, and Lyman axes.
