From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / July 13, 2025
Russia Launches 623 Aerial Weapons While Moscow Begins Hiding War Casualties and Ukraine Achieves First Civilian Flight Over Kyiv in 40 Months
Summary of the Day – July 12, 2025
The darkness brought no respite as Russia unleashed its third massive aerial assault in as many nights, launching 623 weapons including 597 drones and 26 cruise missiles across Ukraine in a devastating escalation that killed at least 13 civilians and wounded 46 others. Yet beneath the terror, a more ominous development emerged: Russia began concealing demographic statistics to hide catastrophic war casualties, with life expectancy plummeting and excess mortality reaching over 140,000 in 2024. The day crystallized a conflict where Russian desperation—from copying Ukrainian tank protection designs to arresting drivers unknowingly involved in Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb—collides with Ukrainian resilience demonstrated through the first civilian aircraft over Kyiv in 40 months, precision elimination of those who murder children, and historic medical breakthroughs conducted under bombardment. From Wagner mercenaries seeking Finnish asylum to anti-corruption activists facing politically motivated charges, the war’s expanding scope touched every corner of society across multiple nations.
The Arsenal Unleashed: 623 Weapons Target Ukrainian Cities
Russia launched another large-scale drone and missile strike against Ukraine on the night of July 11-12, marking the third combined strike with over 500 drones and missiles in July alone. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 339 Shahed-type drones and 258 decoy drones from Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol cities, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Krasnodar Krai, and Millerovo in Rostov Oblast, complemented by 26 Kh-101 cruise missiles fired from airspace over Saratov Oblast.
Ukrainian air defenses demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, downing 319 Shahed-type drones and 25 Kh-101 cruise missiles while 258 drones were “lost” or suppressed by electronic warfare systems. The strikes nevertheless damaged critical electrical networks and administrative and civilian infrastructure across Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Sumy, and Volyn oblasts.
Voice of Ukraine 